INTIMACY WITH GOD

JOURNAL

March 2009

                  Linda & Mike Schreurs

                   WARMTH OF SOUL

   This month we greet you from the sunny, balmy, tropical Botanical Gardens of Des Moines, Iowa.   Baby, when it’s cold outside, run to the tropics!  We didn’t have to board a jet plane to get there either.  We just hopped in our car and were there in a matter of minutes.   What a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a cold, wintry Iowa afternoon.   If you have the late-winter blues or blahs, it’s a fun place to visit.    

   Likewise, if you’re experiencing lack-luster blahs spiritually, you might try walking into the Breath of God’s Word to be revived once again.   2 Timothy 3:16 says that “all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”   The phrase ‘inspired by God’ in the Greek means God breathed.  Therefore, in spending time in the Word of God, you actually walk right into His very Breath!  How wonderful is that?   Now that’s revival!   

                                                       Linda Schreurs    

 BIRTHNG VISIONS AND DREAMS

    This month we were thrilled with the birth of our third little grandson!  Actually he wasn’t so little.  Brendan Isaak weighed in at 9 lbs. 3 oz., and 22 inches long, so he didn’t come forth with ease!   Every birth has its strenuous and painful cries of labor.  Birthing is extremely hard and messy.  It comes at a great cost physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.  But oh, the joy of beholding the fruit of enduring hard labor!  “Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world.”  (John 16:21)  “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning…Thou has turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; that my soul may sing praise to Thee and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.”  (Ps. 30:5b, 11 &12)                      

Where is your vision, your dream?

   1 Corinthians 15:46 states the natural comes before the spiritual.   Comparably, the physical birthing of a baby can be likened to the spiritual birthing of your dreams and visions.  It may not necessarily come easily or quickly.   You may even experience great hardship, persecution and messy situations as your hopes and dreams go through the spiritual birthing process.  But with love, humility and perseverance it will eventually come into full view!   Certainly there may be a lot tears, pain and shouts of agony in the dark night of the soul as it comes forth.  But don’t give up because that’s exactly what the enemy of our souls wants us to do.

The weighty visions and dreams

   The weightier the vision, dream or prophetic promises, the more intense the spiritual warfare!  Is anyone out there experiencing fierce warfare right now?  I’m sure many of you are.   Do not be discouraged!  The reason for increased intensity is because we’ve entered a very unusual time on the face of the earth.  It’s called:  The Last Days!  “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.  For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them.  Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”  (Rev. 12:11-12)  The enemy is cranking up his tactics and ploys to destroy us in every way possible knowing the ‘time capsule’ is waning quickly. 

  But if we’re wise bond-servants of our Lord Jesus, we know full well we serve a very true and faithful God Almighty who speaks a holy promise in Isaiah 55:11.  He assures us His Word, which goes forth from His own mouth, will not return to Him empty, but it will accomplish what He desires and it will succeed in the matter for which He sends it.   It’s not a matter of maybe.  What He speaks, He does.  Now that’s holy hope!   

Though it tarries

  From God’s Breath in Habakkuk 2:3 we are given this true promise:  “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail.  Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”  Do we actually understand that?  Precious saints, let us not take the Word of God half-heartedly.  Let’s embrace with wild expectation the following key words in that verse:

1)      “Appointed time.”  Just as in the birthing of our grandson, he came at the designated time God had prescribed before the foundation of the earth.   (Jer. 1:5; Heb. 4:3)

2)       “Hastens.”   Even though our daughter was two days overdue with this grandchild of ours, the day was ‘hastened’ when the Lord’s purpose and plans were being fulfilled.   This also happens spiritually where we’ve waited for a long time expecting the Lord to ‘act’ on our behalf for a certain situation.  It may feel as if it’s long overdue and we become very anxious.  But Father knows best!  It will come in His perfect timing.   Again, we must remember that His ways are higher than ours.  (Isa. 55: 8-9; Eccl. 3:1; Ps. 31:15)

3)      “It will not fail.”  Being pregnant with promise means delivery is mandated.   With every promise, the Lord has ordained ways of its fulfillment.  (Joshua 23:14; Lam. 3:22)

4)      “Wait for it.”  In our microwave society, it’s extremely hard for God’s people to wait upon His timing.   Remember, patience is a virtue and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  (Gal. 5:22; Isa. 40:31)

5)      “It will certainly come.”  God is not a man that He should lie.  If He spoke something into your life, it will happen – that is, unless you derail it with unbelief, discouragement and sin.  “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not make it good?”  (Numb. 23:19; Rom 3:4)

6)      “It will not delay.”  What wonderful words of promise!  How exciting!   Let us not enter into doubt and unbelief thinking that God is withholding something from us which is a lie from the enemy!  When a promise, dream, vision, or words of prophecy seem to be overdue in our own estimation, in truth, we simply do not trust enough in God’s perfect timing of the matter.   We need to be diligent, faithful and cautious in these matters.   Let us soberly remember that Saul lost the king’s crown because he assumed Samuel was ‘late’ or perhaps not coming at all to offer the burnt offering.  (1 Sam. 13)  The completed time was nearer than he believed!         

Faithful examples

   Scripture shows us time and time again the process of the birthing of dreams and visions:  1) A promise is given.  2) There is a lot of prep time before its delivery.

   God has ordained that we learn some valuable lessons along the way – if we’re willing.  There are plenty of faithful examples to study in scripture.   Abraham waited a lifetime to see the birth of Isaac.  He had to learn trust even when all odds were against him.  Hannah waited with many tears for many years before her son Samuel was born.   Then, she had to give him up!  She had to trust the Lord’s divine purpose for her son’s life.   Patience and obedience to God has it’s rewards.

   Moses was on the back side of the desert for 40 years before God led him into his divine destiny.   Job lost everything until God’s perfect timing brought about a holy restitution from the enemy’s hand.   He received a double blessing for the trouble.  

   Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph, son of Jacob, who was given dramatic dreams about his future.  They were not born easily, but came through extreme pain which involved separation and exile from his family {for a time} even being left for dead.  (Genesis chapters 37-50)  Nevertheless, he cleaved to the Lord in every turn of the road.   He knew Jehovah God is true to His Word.

  In these trying times, the Holy Spirit wants to encourage you and I to continue hanging on to our visions, dreams and prophetic words given us until they come into full blossom.  Springtime is upon us.  New life is bursting forth!  Watch and wait with anticipation and excitement in a mode of great humility and love.  We are at a Mt. Carmel moment! “And he said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’  So he went up and looked and said, ‘There is nothing.’  And he said, ‘Go back’ seven times.  And it came about at the seventh time, that he said, ‘Behold a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.’  And He said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’  So it came about in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower.  And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.  Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.”  (1 Kings 18:43-46; my emphasis)

   Great things are about to happen!  The completed time is nearer than we believe!         

BIRTH MARKS

   We are all aware of physical birth marks that may show up on babies when they are born.   Some may choose to have them removed for cosmetic reasons later on.  But are we aware there are also spiritual birth marks?  “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  (John 3:16)   Unfortunately they are not always discerned.  A compromised lifestyle or lukewarmness can mask or hide one’s commitment to Christ, which in fact, is a very dangerous place to be spiritually. (Rev. 3:16)

   In the middle of the night a few weeks ago, the following prayer erupted from my heart:  “Lord, let there be a signature difference, a ‘marked difference’ on this season or time that we’re all in.  May it SHOWCASE Your Presence, glory and power.  Distinguish this time with Your favor and blessing beyond measure.  Bring forth Your mark upon our lives.  Mark our foreheads, our bodies, mind, soul, spirit, emotions, relationships.  Let us be a marked people with Your signature upon us!  I ask for your signature upon our hearts.   Write upon the tablets of our hearts, O God, and we will give you all the glory!” 

   I believe we are all aware of the ‘mark’ of the beast that’s spoken of in the book of Revelation.  (Rev. 13:16-18)   But we’re now living in a time where we need the distinguishing mark of the Lord upon us as never before.   It’s not only about judgment between sheep and goats, but even the separation between one sheep and another.  (Ezkl. 34:22)   Have we ever considered this?  

   Our demarcation from ungodly, worldly things must be clear.  Sitting on a fence gets us nowhere.   It’s either hot or cold, love or not.  (Rev. 3:16)   The Lord is looking to put His distinct signature upon our lives so that we stand apart from the world, the flesh and the devil.  But are are?  Let’s examine ourselves to be sure.

Branded with fire

    A number of years ago I had an encounter with the Lord where I felt He branded me with His holy fire in a significant way.  It has forever changed my life!   We all need to be branded in our hearts with this defining fire. 

  We need to be branded with passionate love and desire for our heavenly Bridegroom as the days will grow more evil in the End Times.  It will give us great strength.  Paul even says in Galatians 3:17, “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”  He had been through much suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

   No doubt many of us are suffering many things.  Like Paul, many of you may be “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Walk to the Cross and partake of the Lord’s sufferings.  (Rom. 8:17)   Go through the Cross to the other side - the Resurrected side!  Too many saints park at the foot of the Cross with their pain and sorrow never knowing full and complete victory in Christ. 

   Our calling, anointing, and power is through the blood of Jesus.  We are marked men and women of God!  We’re marked for victory after victory after victory through His Resurrection power.  That’s our holy tattoo!  That’s God’s signature upon our lives!

   How comforting to know the Lord’s divine signature rests upon our lives.  Isaiah 49:16 says, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palm of My hands.”  Thus it’s declared in another portion of Isaiah, 44:5: “This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; and that one will call on the name of Jacob; and another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’ and will name Israel’s name with honor.”

Distinction for God’s people

   Just as the Hebrew children were distinct from the people of Egypt in Exodus with illumination in their camps, so too are God’s people of this hour!  (Ex. 8:23; 10:22-23; 19:4-6; 31:17-18)   As deep darkness begins to cover the earth, God’s glory will arise upon those who have His signature upon their hearts.  (Isa. 60)   

   Take note of the powerful mark of the Lord upon those who make intercession for Israel where the Lord’s feet will once again touch the earth!  Our magnificent Father God says there is a distinguishing spiritual mark upon their foreheads.  (Ezkl. 9:4-6)  Revelation 3:12 speaks of this as well, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God and he will not go out

from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” 

   Sadly, those who do not protect and defend the Lord’s homeland either physically or spiritually will suffer greatly.  We need to understand and recognize the Lord’s holy signature in these Last Days.  Certainly a demarcation of humankind is in progress!  When epic plagues and battles of earth are being lived out in its finality, Revelation 9:4 will manifest:  “And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Also Rev. 7:3)  Does our body, mind, heart and soul bear the purity, holiness and full commitment to Christ?  Or are we perched on the fence making no statement for the Lord with our lives?  Let us beware and discern these things.   

Question of the hour 

   God’s signature is being written on the hearts of men, women and children across the earth.   They are the ones who know the fiery passion of the Lord’s Presence!   The Apostle Paul speaks informatively about these things in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” 

   So the question of the hour is, “Is the divine, spiritual signature of God upon my life?  If I were not able to speak a word of testimony, would my actions speak louder than words?  Is it known clearly that I live for Jesus and Him alone?  Beloved, it’s time for every portion of our lives to give glory to God.  As our dear late, Jill Austin used to say, “We are the holy mafia of God!”  I’d chime in by saying, “We are marked men and women of God!  Glory hallelujah!”