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It’s Not Enough! – No more status quo.
The Sword of the Lord – A word of the Lord.
New Book Arriving This Summer - This book chronicles the Prophetic Prayer Journey our ministry took to Iowa’s 99 county courthouses. The theme for the Iowa State Fair’s this year is the 99 county courthouses of Iowa. How timely! See details in ‘Announcements.’
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Mike and Linda Schreurs
May Flowers!
This year we are more excited than ever for this beautiful fifth month to arrive. “Five” of course means favor and grace, and that’s what we’re expecting in many ways, especially with the weather, as I officiate at our daughter’s wedding. It will take place in our back yard at the end of the month.
Everything is vibrant and colorful with blossoms in our flower beds and flower pots strategically placed. It seems even the birds have a new song to sing as we discover new varieties appearing every now and then. What an exciting time of year!
Spring always brings with it anticipation for new beginnings. No matter what you and I may be going through, we must trust our Lord’s purpose and plan by gleaning as much as we can. Let us excel in our walk with Him more than ever! “For behold the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along.” (Song of Songs 2:11-13)
Linda Schreurs
IT’S NOT ENOUGH!
I can’t help it. So far this year, I’ve been writing about it every month since the Holy Spirit struck my heart with this profound fact: We are truly at a Mt. Carmel moment in history. A unique time of separation and demarcation of God’s people is now imminent not unlike the days of Elijah in I Kings 18. I began to take note of this on New Year’s Eve 2008 when Lou Engle of The Call, stated it very clearly. It has flooded my soul like a spiritual tsunami.
This revelation was confirmed again just recently on our women’s spring hermitage. The Lord brought forth His defining sword! I’ll explain that in a moment. But let us note in the above portion of scripture that God brought forth this distinction with fire, a sword, and rain. Pruning, purging and purification are imminent upon God’s people. Are we ready for this?
A divine wedding
Ladies and gentleman of the Most High God, there is a divine wedding coming. (Rev. 19) Jesus is coming again for His Bride, the church. And in this wedding will God the Father say, “Do you take this Bride to be your lawfully wedded spiritual Bride…?” No! That doesn’t make sense and it’s not scriptural. Jesus is our heavenly bridegroom. He’s not returning to earth for a bridegroom, but a Bride.
It’s hard to fathom what our Iowa Supreme Court Justices have done in sanctioning gay marriage! They have made a mockery of God’s holy covenant of marriage as established from the beginning of humanity. (Gen. 2:20-24; Gen. 19:4-7; Lev. 18: 22; Deut. 22:5; Rom.1:18-31) Oh Christians, Christians! Stand up now for truth and righteousness according to the Word of the Lord as He admonished in Matthew 19:4-6, “And He answered them and said, ‘Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh’? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (My emphasis)
Bride to Bride, Groom to Groom?
Of course, since the Fall of Adam and Eve, many things have been misaligned and in that aspect there is a horrible price to pay for diverting from God’s holy Truths. Hosea 6:6-7 is enlightening: “For I delight in loyalty {to God’s Word} rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam, they have transgressed the covenant; there they have dealt treacherously against Me.”(My emphasis)
Our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus, is returning for His Bride. She {the true church} will be holy and righteous, without a spot of contamination and not a wrinkle of compromise to man’s ways. (Eph. 5:27) The church of Christ will not be asked if we can be His husband, but His Bride. Scripture is clear on that. It’s the same in the natural. One man, one woman in the bond of godly, covenantal, matrimonial love. There is no other definition!
Mt. Carmel’s fire
My beloved friends, the peculiar distinction of God’s people is now at hand. Do you bear the marks of Christ? Do you carry the Cross of the Lamb of God upon your heart? Do you adhere to His Word ‘until death do you part’ from this world into the next? Are you willing to participate in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings in order to know true love in holy intimacy with Him in a divine communion for eternity? “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Rom. 8:16-18)
Take your Biblical stand now and do not be afraid. It’s time to confront the Baals of our day just as Elijah did. What will you do with your Mt. Carmel moment? Do you choose the fire, the sword, or the rain? The fire of God as on Mt. Carmel generations ago is now before us. If we remain silent about Biblical things – we shall know the defining fire of His judgments. In Hosea 6:5 the Spirit of the Living God is clear saying: “Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the words of My mouth.” It’s a fearsome thing to come under the judgment of our Eternal God.
Seismic confrontation
We are at a Mt. Carmel moment in humanity worldwide! (Read my book, Armageddon Bride). The Lord is looking for the Elijahs of our day. But there may be precious few! The question of our time is, “Who is bold enough to CONFRONT the corrupt judges, priests, pastors, governments and false religions of our day? Who is willing, like Esther to say, “If I die, I die”?
Don’t be fooled. Those of us who call ourselves ‘Christians’ must know the Word of God for ourselves. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet for the tears he shed in intercession and through prophetic utterances to the people of his day. Chapter 12 of the book bearing his name, verses 10-11 warns: “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, they have made My pleasant field a desolate wilderness. It has been made a desolation, desolate, it mourns before Me; the whole land has been made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.” In this, our Mt. Carmel moment in history, does our heart align with God or man?
The blessings of a downpour of rain and abundance that ended a long drought in I Kings 18 came only because of the seismic confrontation Elijah had with the culture of his day. He stood alone. Even though the whole country had gone astray bowing before the false religions of their day, Elijah dared to defy them. He knew His God! He knew the power of the Lord of Hosts! He knew whom He served does not tolerate compromise.
I hear in the spirit, the breaking of the Lord’s heart over many people who believe the twisted truths of man’s diluted versions of Holy Scripture. Have you considered 2 Timothy 4:1-4 as of late? “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (My emphasis)
Precious saints, we are certainly nearing an epic revival as persecution of Christians in this country will begin to take place as it is in other areas around the globe. Does this surprise you that persecution brings revival? It ought not to. The fact of the matter is that when the world sees we are serious in our walk with Jesus, they are affected. Many come to Christ seeing that we are willing to make a stand for Him at the risk of our lives. Love of our Lord compels us!
The battle lines are being drawn in this Mt. Carmel hour of humanity! As with Elijah, we cannot have the abundance of rain (revival), without the purifying fire and sword of the Lord!
At our door step
Do we realize it’s not church business as usual anymore? The End of the Age is arriving at our door step any day now. Demarcation and separation of God’s people will be much more defined. We will not resemble the world in any fashion. Holy love and holy fear of the Lord will grip our souls. In this fast paced age of change, we must realize old wineskins are bursting at the seams. New wine is coming. Fresh fire! An abundance of rain and abundance of signs, wonders and miracles such as the world has never seen up to this point in human history is coming! It’s an astounding hour in which we live. Take hold of it and climb the heights of God’s glory! “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I shall give peace declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9)
Beloved believers of Jesus, it’s not enough these days to do the required, to do the average, to walk the line so to speak. I can’t say it any other way than at this current crisis hour in which we find ourselves, everything is shifting toward the Second Coming of Christ!
There’s acceleration, an accumulation, a convergence of all past generations of our spiritual heritage that’s merging into the grand finale - the End of the Age! Godly, holy foundational things that have been in place since our Creator made the heavens and the earth are being shaken! “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 2:7)
It’s not enough
It is not enough to do what we’ve been doing. It’s not enough to just get by in our little religious duties with the Lord. The ordinary is breaking way for the extraordinary for those who will plunge their hearts deep into the Lord’s, bowing in complete surrender. Jesus admonishes us boldly in the need to surpass ‘status quo Christianity’ (which is a ‘religious spirit’) in Luke 17:7-10. Take to heart the climatic verse 10 which says, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.”
There is so much more ‘to have and to hold’ in Christ Jesus!We’re going to have to change in order to handle the Bridal wine at the end of the Age. It’s a serious and somber time in which we live, but it is a glorious one. Truly Isaiah 60:2 is upon us which says as deep darkness begins to cover the earth, God’s glory will rise upon His people.
The Mt. Carmel anointing is here! Proverbs 28:1 says the righteous are as bold as a lion. Let us roar with the Lion of Judah across this land! (Rev. 5:5) “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7-8)
THE SWORD OF THE LORD
Last month as I was preparing to lead the women on our spring hermitage, I felt the Lord say, “Bring your sword.” I had to ponder that for awhile wondering what I would need it for?! But I’ve learned to obey the Lord as a little child not always having an understanding of what He’s up to. Father knows best!
Two days into our hermitage, the Lord revealed His purpose for that sword. Dear ones, I believe with all my heart we have no doubt arrived at a Mt. Carmel moment in human history. Confrontation and separation is imminent. We must take into account the fact that Elijah slew the prophets of Baal with the edge of the sword on that mountain. Judgment against false religions came swift and sure. Yes, God loves us. And yes, He also calls for purity and holiness in our lives without compromise.
In this present age, no other generation will face what we are now facing. In light of this fact, we must prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. The sword of the Lord is near. May the reverential fear of the Lord be upon us as a mantle like that of Elijah.
On the boardwalk
On the second afternoon of our hermitage, I decided to go down to the board walk and see if there was a spot for me to sit by the lake. There was, and since it was a beautiful, warm spring day, I’d felt led to take my shoes and socks off.
I was tempted to put my feet into the lake but refrained thinking that is not why I was led to take my shoes off. At one point I repeated an old saying to the Lord, “Barefoot and pregnant!” I told Him I was pregnant with promise and delivery of all He has for me at this moment in time.
While looking out over the lake thinking nothing in particular, a gust of wind came up. Then suddenly, I felt His Presence and heard the following words:
The Trinity says, “Give Us your life. Give Us your living {meaning ‘how’ you live}. Give Us your ways for Our ways, which are higher than yours. (Isa. 55) Give Us you - all of you.”
I began weeping. I respond: “Show me what it means.”
‘They’ (the Trinity) answer: “We will show you. Remember that We love you!”
I respond: “Help me. Have mercy, great, great mercy upon me.”
They answer, “You are greatly loved.”
I respond: “I still don’t know what this all means.”
“You don’t have to. We will walk you through it.”
I respond: “I’m afraid.”
“Do not fear, for We are with you to the ends of the earth.”
They continue:
“We had you take your shoes off because this is holy ground. This is your pivotal moment in time. Listen and obey and it shall go well with you. Listen closely and carefully. Divine assignments are being designated at this time. It is why We had you bring the sword on this journey {hermitage}. The sword is Our Word and it divides bone and marrow, soul and spirit even to the thoughts and intentions of hearts everywhere. (Heb. 4:12)
The battle is not yours, but Ours. (1 Sam. 17:47) Separation and distinction are being branded by fire upon Our people {the people of God}. Our true, holy fire will distinguish between pure gold and cheap imitations.
A sword for the Lord and a sword for Linda! (Judges 7:20)
VICTORY in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is assured! Raise the banner of victory!
Raise the banner of love! Our canopy and mantle over you is LOVE. Love is your victory key. Fly it high and higher still! Love is sacrificial and if you will wear and embrace this banner, this mantle, you will ascend into My Divine Court where justice and righteousness has the highest dividends.
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. (Ps. 24-3-4)
See now, this is your time…your time to ascend to places in My heart you’ve not been to before. Behold you and I are one. We are one in the bond of love. We are joined together in a holy marriage of love. (Rev. 19) Come, My Bride! Come up into the bosom of your heavenly Bridegroom! Come up here! Come up from your miry clay and I will show you the sparkling treasures of My love for you. (Ps. 135:7)
Come! I have so much more for you!”
(I began singing the old song: ‘We are standing on holy ground…’). Then the Lord said one more thing:
“This is your divine commission. Come up! Come up, up and away!” (Rev. 4:1)
End of the ‘word of the Lord.’
And to my readers - I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Confirmation
As I shared this word with the women at the end of our hermitage when we have our Sabbath service, I told them I now knew what I had to use the sword for. I felt the Lord say we needed to be ‘knighted’ or ‘commissioned’ for a ‘time such as this’! I have sensed as well, the Lord wants this word released to His Body of believers so we can all be prepared for this strategic hour.
Having a lady come all the way from Coventry, UK for this timely hermitage was significant! The Lord always synchronizes His plans with the saints so they are confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. (2 Cor. 13:1) This dear saint shared with us that when the Queen of England knights someone, they kneel before her and she lays the sword on their right shoulder. We used that as our model and the anointing fell powerfully! These dear women of God, being knighted for the divine purposes of God in their lives, will never be the same again! A holy shaking took place as tears flowed under the anointing.
Gideon’s sword
Please keep in mind that it’s not so much a sword of correction, although that’s part of it – pruning and purification, as much as it’s the sword of victory! This is the power that fell on Gideon in Judges 7. With insurmountable odds, he accomplished a hugely magnificent victory with the sword of the Lord!
Beloved believers, what are your insurmountable odds? Is it your health, job, marriage, your family? Whatever it is that seems like it would need a miracle to overcome it, that’s what’s coming! A miracle!
Let me encourage you to embrace the same kind of victory Gideon experienced through this divine sword of the Lord. Put your name in the Living Word of God in verses 18 and 20 of Judges 7 - “A sword for the Lord and a sword for _______!” It’s time to lay hold of your victory in the Name of Jesus!
We are now being knighted in a new and powerful way with heavenly armor such as the world has never seen. Victories are coming with unprecedented power! Get re-acquainted with this glorious armor in Ephesians 6.
Finally, mark your Bible in Jeremiah 31:2, “Thus says the Lord, ‘The people who survived the sword {correction, pruning, purification} found grace in the wilderness; when Israel, sought for rest.’” (My emphasis; NRS Version) This glorious sword of the Lord will give you rest from all your striving.
In conclusion
Beloved believers, surely we’ve arrived at a Mt. Carmel moment. The Sword of the Lord, God’s Word, is in our mouths and what we speak, declare and decree is accomplishing the purposes for which it is sent. (Isa. 55:11) Use the power found in Psalm 149:6: “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.” Praise and worship will cause you to be an overcomer.
Hebrews 12:4 is most pertinent for our times. Division of soul and spirit is taking place as never before. Wield the mighty Word of God to attain your ‘wins’ over every Goliath in your life. Be encouraged with Joel 3:10 - “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am a mighty man.’” Hallelujah!
Finally, precious saints, become experts in spiritual warfare. You’re going to need to know the Word of God inside and out as never before so you are not deceived by worldly philosophies at the End of the Age. (Song of Songs 3:8). One of our holiest weapons is the divine, eternal Truth of God’s Word. The Lord of hosts is our defender. “Gird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O Mighty One, in Thy splendor and Thy Majesty.” (Psalm 45:3) Who is so arrogant to come against the One who holds in His hands the seven stars and has a sharp two-edged sword in His mouth, with His face shining like the sun?! (Rev. 1:16) May a holy fear grip our souls in this epic hour!
*See Announcements below
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Armageddon Bride
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Written by Linda Schreurs and published by Creation House/Strang Communications, this book is about the moral issues of our day. Who’s in charge of moral codes? Where is the church? Are we upholding godly, foundational truths for marriage and purity? This book has received wonderful reviews and delivers in-depth insights for the times in which live. Check out some of them today and order your copy at the address below, or from our web site: www.intimacy-with-God.com. The cost is $13.99 plus $4 ship-ping and handling. It’s also available at many secular or religious book stores or on line at Amazon.
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Words Aptly Spoken
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This book, written by Linda Schreurs, will be available in June. Its release has been greatly anticipated especially for those in Iowa. Believers in other states may benefit from it as well, using it as grid work for their own area. It’s the story of her ministry’s prophetic prayer journey to all 99 Iowa county courthouses with proclamations, declarations and prophetic utterances given by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a spiritually historic book that you won’t want to miss! Its debut is perfectly timed in light of the Iowa State Fair’s theme for 2009 which honors the 99 County Courthouses of Iowa! You can pre-order it now for your personalized signed copy! The cost is $20.99 plus $4 shipping and handling. See contact information below.