INTIMACY WITH
GOD JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 2010
Opening - Wedding Bells. Wait!
True Marriage – God’s way or no way.
Testimonial
Linda & Mike Schreurs
Wedding Bells
No, not ours! Nevertheless, this month Mike and I will celebrate our wedding of 38 years ago. We were married in my in-law’s home on Thanksgiving Day. It was quaint, warm, and quite wonderful considering there had just been a blizzard! So you’re asking, “What is the opening phrase all about?” The above recent photo was taken as we were heading out to a late afternoon autumn wedding of a very special couple.
Mike and I experienced an especially honorable opportunity. We were called upon to bring prophetic words of blessing during the marriage ceremony at this couple’s wedding of whom we’ve been mentoring for awhile.
Their wedding occurred just days ago as I write this and we are still enthralled with all
the Holy Spirit did and is yet to do!
When two people, ‘wait upon the Lord,’ for the visions and dreams God has given them, He does not disappoint. Habakkuk 2:3 is very plain in this endeavor stating, “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.”
This Old Testament scripture affirms that the Lord will certainly fulfill every single word He’s ever spoken. Not one letter of His Word shall ever fail. If He says something – it is going to be just as He has said. Isaiah 55:11 assures us of that fact. “So shall My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” That’s a hallelujah statement!
Problems of impatience
Unfortunately, we can grow impatient which can really mess things up. Abraham and Sarah are good examples of this. (Genesis 15 and 16) They decided one day, they simply could wait no longer for the fulfillment of God’s promise to them that they would have a baby. As so often is the case, they took matters into their own hands. We know the story. It resulted in much conflict and sorrow. And it is on-going to this day. Let’s heed the warnings here.
It takes a lot of faith and determination to continue with the plans of God and not detour to our own ways. Things can seem long and drawn out. We can get very weary of the journey. But we must BELIEVE. Let’s stick like glue to God’s Word which says in James 1:6-8 “But let him {you and I} ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Yikes! Who wants to be considered as unstable in all their ways?! Not me, and I’m sure neither do you. So what do we have to do? Just believe. Believe God is Truth and that He keeps His Word.
God’s glory can be seen
Consider what Jesus said to Mary at the tomb of her brother, Lazarus. He was about to call him forth from the dead saying to her: “Did I not tell you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
Why did Jesus delay several days in leaving to go help this family in their time of dire need? He answers that question to the gathered crowd around the tomb saying it was in order that His glory might seen. So Jesus does come! He always will. And the results of His perfectly timed arrival brought forth the divinely spectacular!
How about you? Are you in a holding pattern waiting for things the Lord has spoken to you? Did you know that sometimes it takes an utterly impossible situation in order for that to manifest? No one knew Lazarus was about to walk out of his grave. Who could imagine such a thing?! But it did, and it can, even now! So be encouraged. The eternal, life-giving Word of God is on the way to your own situation. Believe!
Spectacular fulfillments
Some of us are willing to believe all right, but for how long? Do we stick with the Lord’s promises and plans for our lives even in the midst of detours and roadblocks? Or do we forge ahead and let the chips fall where they may causing great stress and heartaches along the way? There’s no glory in doing things are own way. But there are many spectacular fulfillments of God’s promises if we’re willing to wait for His perfect timing. Think about that. How many times have we aborted the promises of God by doing our own thing rather than waiting for God’s glory to break through?
Mike and I were quite blessed at the testimony of this young couple who’d asked us for these prophetic blessings. They definitely fulfilled that Old Testament scripture from Habakkuk 2:3. They prayed. They waited. They prayed and waited some more. They weren’t getting any younger either! They did not know when or how the Lord would fulfill His promise to them for a suitable mate designed especially for them. But God does not fail. He will do what He says He will do. And He’ll do it for each one of us.
Those who wait upon the Lord shall have their strength renewed as Isaiah 40:31 promises. The Lord knows our weaknesses and that it’s hard to keep waiting and waiting. But wonderfully, He promises to give us strength for the journey! He provides everything we need! So why fret, worry or be stressed out? We serve an awesome God who loves us beyond measure watching over us with every step of life’s journey.
Keep in mind Jesus’ words to Mary at her brother’s tomb – and of which, He says to you and I as well since these are LIVING WORDS from scripture: “Did I not tell you if you believe, you will see the GLORY of God?” Wait for your WOW MOMENT! Wait for God’s glory to show up in your life! It is coming! It is coming in God’s perfect timing! It will come with a joy and peace upon your heart as He’s working out all things for His glory in your life. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Another scripture known to many of us is Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Amen!
Glory here and glory there
So what have you been waiting for? How long has it been? How far are you willing to go to see God’s great and gracious promises fulfilled in your life? Do you know some promises of God are so big, so huge, they may not even be matured in your lifetime? Some have died waiting for certain promises to be fulfilled. In Hebrews 11, verses 35-40 we see this played out. But these dear souls decided they would not succumb to anything less than faith in God. Truly their reward is greater NOW than it ever could have been on earth!
Our assignment from the Lord is to continue to pray, wait, and watch. He who promised is faithful. (Heb.10:23) He is good, oh so good! Hold on to your promises, visions and dreams! Every purpose of God will be fulfilled.
TRUE MARRIAGE
The couple aforementioned in this issue of our IWG Journal entered into a godly, holy marriage as ordained by the Lord Most High – that of one man and one woman. This is the only union He set up and sanctioned.
Somebody has got to begin to say it, and to say it loudly! True marriage is still as God began it - one man, one woman.
What person of mere flesh and blood has power to put asunder what the EVERLASTING Lord God Almighty has declared?! There ought to be a fearful trembling from deep within for anyone who contrarily does otherwise to His Word. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction,” says Proverbs 1:7.
I ask again,who is foolish enough to believe they can dice, mince or chop the words of the Lamb of God who clearly stated, “But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. {re: divorce} But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother 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) Read this discourse in Mark 10:1-12. True, godly marriage is NOT a civil rights issue, it’s a GOD ISSUE.
The topic of marriage cannot be covered in a few short paragraphs in this IWG Journal. It would take a book for that. And there is one! It’s called – THE BIBLE. People ought to read it from cover to cover, over and over again under the unction of the Holy Spirit.
Many indeed read it, but they do not do so with holy fear. The Pharisees, Sadducees and priests in Jesus’ day all read and knew the Old Testament scriptures, but they still did not know TRUTH when it was standing right in front of them. Even Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Truth stood before him, and yet he still crucified the Lamb of God. O people, be careful, beware! Follow only God’s divine instructions for true marriage. Hebrews 13:4 makes it quite clear when it says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.”
Perversion
Am I the only one to wonder how in the world we have such perverted TV shows these days? Where is the outcry of God’s people to such so-called ‘family’ shows during prime time as ‘Sister Wives’ (about a man married to four women who are sisters), or the show ‘Modern Family’ (it includes a gay couple)? Where are the voices of protest to such debauchery? There are unmentionable shows with disgusting sexual content that’s put before our eyes while channel surfing for only a few seconds. Our eyes are not safe in our own homes! I do not, of course, watch any of these shows, but you can pretty quickly get an idea of what they’re about in just a few seconds. We actually have a 5 second delay on our remote which is detrimental. You can see far too much in 5 seconds! The destructive contamination of thousands of souls is being swept into hell with blatant, provocative perversions. (See Heb. 10:26-39)
Are my words too harsh? I think not. It can’t be stated any clearer than what the Bible says. But few seem to know it. Few read it. Few tremble in the Presence of our holy, everlasting, all powerful God. No wonder our beautiful Lord laments in Luke 9:41: “O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, and put up with you? Bring your son here.” (Luke 9:41; Matt. 17:17) So one has to wonder, “What would Jesus call our generation?!” That in itself makes me tremble. If the very demons can tremble in the Presence of the Lord, how much more so shall any one of us?! (Mark 1:23-24; 3:11; 5:12; James 2:19; Matt. 7:22-23)
Biblical
I heard someone recently say regarding the new TV show, ‘Sister Wives’ (a man married to 4 women who are all sisters), that it’s Biblical. This - it is not! Multiple wives is certainly in the Bible, but that doesn’t make it ‘Biblical.’ Rape, incest and murder are also in the Bible, but they are not ‘Biblical.’ These things only denote the depravity of man. And God’s Word states we’ve all fallen short of His glory. We’re all sinners in one way or another, to one degree or another. (Rom. 3:23) However, it is by the blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God, that we are made clean, having the privilege of eternal life with Him. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)
Repent
I’m not a lawyer, but I would suppose that any criminal who repents of their wrong-doing, may get a lighter sentence. It’s even better than that with Jesus! Once one repents of any and all sins, no matter what they are, He erases that stain entirely and forevermore. (Ps. 103:12) That’s profound! That’s life-giving!
In John 8 the woman lying at the feet of Jesus has been caught in adultery. The spectators are called upon to cast the first stone of condemnation, but only if they are without sin. Of course, they all walk away. God’s Word says we’ve all sinned. A possible stoning might make you repent too!
Nevertheless this incident isn’t so much about condemnation (yes, she was guilty) as it is about repentance. This woman prostrates herself before the Lord and He gives her instructions on how to proceed with her life, saying: “Go, and sin no more.” We must realize this wasn’t a license of ‘greasy grace,’ to continue in her old ways. It was a release into a new life of power in Christ. Wow! I like that, don’t you? Let’s pick ourselves up out of the miry clay and forge on ahead with a renewed life in Jesus! The Holy Spirit’s power within helps us to overwhelmingly conquer all temptations and trials in life. We certainly can live a pure, godly, holy life.
Balance
We must take the entire content of all of God’s Word. We are not to dice and slice it. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus instructs us that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. There is grace. But there is also condemnation. We must consume the whole loaf, the whole Living Bread of God’s Word in order to have balance in our lives. Many are all about grace, or all about condemnation. But God’s Word gives us both. We’re already condemned because we’re all sinners. So when the scriptures say Jesus came not to condemn but to SAVE, that is certainly true. (John 12) We need the whole loaf – all of the Living Bread. Jesus still must condemn, but only for those who do not repent. Jesus still judges, but only to those who refuse His Blood of saving grace. Jesus will always judge because anything unholy cannot remain in His Presence. We’re instructed to be holy as He is holy. (Lev.10:10; 11:44; 20:26; Zech. 3)
Jesus’ lifestyle was one of compassion, as must ours. The sword of condemnation doesn’t mean we don’t have compassion or love for those living in sin. But it does mean we speak TRUTH where it needs to be spoken. It means we do not shy away from what God says. It means we make a stand for righteousness just as Jesus did. We must love people right where they are. After all, Jesus ate with sinners! We too once were lost, but now we’re found, we were blind, but now we see. Let us pray for other souls in this manner.
Condemnation
Jesus admonishes the religious culture of His day by overturning their tables and calling some of them ‘vipers’ asking them how is it that being evil, they can speak what is good? They obviously can’t. They just ‘sound good.’ They know all about religion, but they don’t KNOW the Lord. (Matt. 12:34; Matt. 3:7) (See also last month’s IWG Journal for more on this subject.) Remember too, that the last book of the Bible, Revelation, is all about judgment. Let us be alert!
The Apostle John quotes Jesus: “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) Let’s turn to the light at the end of our individual dark tunnels by allowing God’s grace, mercy, life and light to enter in. We’ll be the better for it.
The profound power and glory of God’s Word examines our hearts in 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. Consequently, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who give us His Holy Spirit to you.”
Read the very words of our Savior and Sanctifier Jesus in John 8:24 and 26, “I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins…I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”
Even at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the Apostles that they shall sit with Him on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30) A compromised lifestyle obviously is one not fully committed to the Lord Jesus. This person will pay the ultimate price of a sentence of eternal hell. Hell is the absence of God. That’s the worst torment of all!
So where do you stand? Do you stand up for Jesus and His book, His words, His lifestyle of holiness? Or is there fear in your soul for rebukes of being called ‘homophobic’? What kind of price are you willing to pay to be righteous before the Lord? It’s something we are now faced with and we need to answer the question now.
Since Jesus is returning for a Bride without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27), then certainly the union God began in the Garden of Eden was the precursor for true marriage. (The union was perfect until the fall. Genesis 2) It became contaminated and beguiled by man’s flesh. But the Bride of Christ will be without compromise or contamination by the world’s ways. She will be pure and holy, living in DIVINE COVENANT WITH GOD! Oh what a glorious day that will be!
Fire! Division!
Those who say Jesus does not judge have not read their Bibles! In Luke 12:49, 52, 57: the Lord states: “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled…Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three…And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?”
Why such harsh words from the Master’s mouth? Upon reading the Divine Breath of God in its entirety, one realizes that God cannot, nor will He ever, grant everlasting life to those who compromise His Word. Consequently, even families can become divided. Each one must choose for himself if he will love Jesus with all his heart, soul, and might. Each one must decide if he will abide by God’s Word.
God does not force Himself upon anyone. Just reading the Old Testament story of the journey into the Promised Land, can put chills down your spine. Our God is one of great power and immense love. Yes, He is Love. And yes, He is also Judge. Almost everyone from an entire generation in Exodus did not make it into the Promised Land. Whole families were lost. But a few did make it through. Joshua and Caleb were among them. They stuck with God’s plan. They trusted Him and obeyed Him.
It’s time our generation embrace the warning set forth in the Word of God. Do not dismiss 2 Peter 3:7: “But the present heavens and earth by His Word are being preserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Let’s begin to turn our hearts to pray for our own generation.
Listen to the Good Father above. Read His Divine Manual, the Bible. Obey His loving commands. It’s like your own child who disobeys you. Are there not consequences? You may put him/her in ‘time out,’ or take away the car keys, etc. But there comes a time upon becoming an adult when they must bear their own consequences for temporal things and eternal things. We must learn from God’s Word so we will know how to pass through to our Promised Land!
Conclusion
I have done as I’ve been instructed by the Holy Spirit, to bring to you the heart of the matter of purity and holiness in godly marriages. His plan at the very beginning of the human race was for one man, and one woman to be joined in holy matrimony. God has ordained it to be so. Anything else is a perversion worthy of eternal death and separation from God. I walk the talk of Acts. 10:42 which states, “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.”
There’s a gateway standing before each one of us. One gate is called righteousness. The other is unrighteousness. One is the Lord’s. One is the evil one, Satan’s. Which gate are you about to enter - the big, broad one of the world or the smaller one that causes us to kneel in humility, repentance, obedience and love of God? “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt. 7:13-15)
Choose wisely. Choose well.
Wedding bells are about to give way to the trumpet blast at the End of the Age! Jesus is coming again to gloriously carry away His beautiful, spotless, pure Bride. (Eph. 5:27) The question is, “What will He call our generation – wise, or perverse?” We need to answer now.
*Get my book, Armageddon Bride, for a more depth look at this entire topic. It’s been widely used for Bible studies. The End Times will encompass the battle for the TRUE, pure, spotless Bride of Christ!
TESTIMONIAL