INTIMACY WITH GOD JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 2010
Opening - Ninth Month Birthing
Hungry Babies - Godly Dependency
Expressions of God - How to mirror your Divine Beloved
Testimonials – Comments on IWG Journal
*See Announcements! Aglow Muscatine & Women’s Hermitage
Mike & Linda Schreurs
Ninth Month - Birthing!
At the beginning of this year of 2010, our ministry held a conference called, Birthing Your Dreams and Visions. It was a powerful time in the Lord as we set our eyes on God’s fulfillment for many promises to be fulfilled in our lives.
Personally at the time, we did not yet know of a new grandchild that would be forth- coming by the 9th month! 1 Corinthians 15:46 which is a personal favorite says, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then comes the spiritual.” As a prophetic people, its imperative we learn to discern and be on high alert to what’s happening around us. “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy…” (1 Cor. 14:39) We are given clues as to how God is moving. Jesus declares in Matthew 16:2-3, “But He answered and said to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?’”
Beloved ones, be sure your eyes are wide open as there are many significant changes on the horizon that will effect your life for many years to come! The newest addition to our own growing family attests to that. A new life changes everything! That goes for the spiritual as well as the natural. Multitudes of new births in Christ are coming and we must prepare our spiritual nurseries to welcome them into the Family of God.
All things that can be shaken are being shaken and this will begin to cause the unsaved to beat a path to our door wanting what we have! They’ll want the peace, love, joy and lack of anxiousness they see in us. It’s not going to be business as usual. All the paradigms are about to shift into high gear!
Birthing of the supernatural is imminent as we seek the Lord Most High with our entire being. But these things come only as we walk in righteousness, holiness, purity, love, forgiveness and all the divineexpressions of God’s Kingdom rule. Heaven rules! (Dan. 4:26) Live the life you’re supposed to live! Your deepest cries of intercession for all aspects of your life are accelerating into a new arena of manifestation and birthing. The hour is near. Get ready. Living Waters from on HIGH are about to burst all over you! (2 Sam. 5:20; Ps. 42; Isa. 35) Let everything that has life and breath ‘Praise the Lord’! (Psalm 150:6) Linda Schreurs
HUNGRY BABIES
A few years ago I tried to save some newborn baby birds by feeding them dug up worms from our yard. The parents had abandoned the nest probably due to the fact that they’d built their nest on the wreath hanging from our front door. It just wasn’t stable enough. I tried to keep everyone from using that door, but oftentimes, we’d simply forget and the babies would get jostled all over the place. We certainly had a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the little ones, but each day they grew weaker from lack of nourishment having rejected my attempts to help them. (See below)
Baby birds in nest on front door
Unfortunately I was not able to keep any of them alive. But I felt the Lord had shown me some valuable lessons.
We are born again and come into our spiritual lives completely dependent on our Papa Abba God to nourish us every single day. (1 Pet. 1:23) So why do we try to do it all on our own? Why do we struggle so much to do everything ourselves when we’ve been born again into a life of utter dependency on the Holy Spirit? Why do we continue to walk in so much stress, heartache and pain? Are we in fact, subtly rejecting the Lord’s help just as these baby birds did? Allow His grace, mercy and Word to fill you up.
Give the Lord full access to your heart and let Him feed you strength and power from His inspired, divine, holy Word in the scriptures. It’s pure joy to eat of God’s Word and His magnificent revelation each and every day. (Jer. 15:16)
Jostled
Could we be missing our godly meals and thereby growing weaker instead of stronger? This is dangerous! Read God’s word for your daily sustenance. I Peter 2:1-3 says, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” So what’s all the fuss about? Why are we being so jostled and unstable like these little birds? Are we not trusting enough in our Lord?!
It’s imperative that we learn complete, total divine dependency on our Holy Savior, Jesus Christ. The only way you and I can really control our destiny is to give up control! ‘Let go, and let God,’ as the old saying goes.
An overcoming lifestyle
Ready for flight!
Surrender your circumstances to the Lord. He wants to feed you insight, understanding, revelation and restoration. He who designed you for fellowship with Himself desires your praise, worship, adoration and total allegiance.
You and I must magnify Him in order to grow into maturity for future flight! The above photo is another picture of baby birds at our house that had made their nest in a hanging flower pot. They flourished having not been disturbed like the others. My camera caught them just the day before they took flight!
This is exactly what the Lord wants from us. His desire is that we be undisturbed by the battles of life. Let’s not be distracted, distressed or depressed which is the desire of the enemy of our souls. Jesus so warmly tells us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (my emphasis) If we are truly dependent on God, we will be walking not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us into an overcoming lifestyle. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Rom 8:37) We’ve been designed for divine victories! We’ve been created to take flight in Him and with Him! That’s a huge ‘Wow’ factor don’t you think?!
Mount up!
Bald eagle in back yard
If you’ve been feeling dry, lonely, beaten down, perhaps you need to nuzzle a bit closer to Papa Abba! Have you moved a little too far away from His divine, holy, powerful comforts of peace and joy? Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) He loves you so very much and desires to feed you His eternal, delectable delights that will cause you to accelerate into deliverances of high altitude and magnitude.
This is not just for your own benefit, but also for those within your sphere of influence that they will desire what you have. You can minister to them! We’re all called to share the Gospel of Good News. The End of the Age harvest of newborn babes in Christ is upon us. Be ready to share the hope of glory that resides within you. Walk in it yourself that your life will be a living testimony.
This last photo shows an American bald eagle in our back yard. They fly around here all the time as we live along the Des Moines River. They’re certainly a majestic and very strong bird! Scripture speaks often of them.
At this moment of great anxiety in America as many things are being shaken, I believe the Lord wants us to be confidently refreshed through the feeding of His word in Isaiah 40:28-29 and 31: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power…Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary.” (my emphasis)
Mount up! It’s time to fly!
Recently I woke up one morning with the
above phrase on my heart and wondered
what it meant. For some odd reason, I
immediately thought of how funny it can be
when people try to mimic us. Or not!
Usually it’s pretty accurate because they see
things that can be hidden to us. Comedians
are known for this! And kids are especially
good at it as well. We have little grandsons
who try to do this and we have a good time
laughing at ourselves.
I wondered what the Lord was trying to convey to me so I looked up ‘expression’ in the dictionary. The meaning might be obvious, but let’s see. One of the given meanings was: ‘person’s facial appearance.’ That’s a good one. Someone once said that ‘what we see, we become.’ So what do you see? What are you looking at most of the time? How do you and I appear to others? Do we look worried, fretful, tired? Do we appear downtrodden with our eyes focused more on ourselves than on our Living Lord?
Here’s another explanation given: ‘A facial aspect or tone of voice speaking.’
What does the tone of our voice convey? Is it whiney? Or is it winsomely confident as with child-like faith? Is it firmly founded in all the precious, true and faithful promises found in scripture concerning our todays and tomorrows? Is there a gleam in our eyes, a fiery glow of passionate pursuit for Jesus, the lover of our soul? Is there a sparkle in our eye for the things of God? Do we enjoy learning and growing in Him? Or are we groaning too much with the twinkle gone from our tear-stained eyes? Have we not remembered His Word that says He will wipe away all tears? (Rev. 21:4) So move onward and upward!
A reflection
Let’s aspire to enter the ‘expressions’ of God and reflect His nature not ours! All that He is, we can be because we’ve been made in His image. (Gen. 1:27) Every child of God can be a holy and powerful reflection of His love and power! “As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Cor. 15:48-49) That’s a hallelujah and an Amen! Wouldn’t you rather be a reflection of heavenly things than those of this transient, dark world?
I think it’s time we lighten up and walk out the expressions of God in our lives. We will become much more enlightened as we begin to reflect His expressions of joy {even laughter}, love, holiness, forgiveness, daily bread with divine provisions, miracles, strength, power, purity, purpose, victory, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, revelation and so much more that is IN HIM, our hope of glory! He is majesty, splendor, and awe beyond compare.
The Lord God Almighty is definitely our everything, our all in all! (Col. 3:11) There is nothing lacking in our provision of the Savior of our soul, Jesus Christ. These ‘reflections of His expressions’ are our spiritual inheritance through His Presence abiding in us. Take them, receive them and embrace them for a much richer, fuller Christian life.
His eyes
Spur yourself on to all the divine expressions of God found in scripture. You’ll find your life will begin to change radically! Let’s embrace anew the verse so familiar to many of us in 2 Corinthians 3:16 and 18,“…But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” {Whatever is blinding you will be removed!} “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Again, it is our spiritual inheritance through Calvary’s Cross that we are wonderfully spared going from heartache to heartache. Our divine destiny calls us to ascend into victory after victory and from glory to glory!
Spend time gazing into the Lord’s face, His astounding voice, His holy countenance and you’ll find your world changing for the better. Remember the old song: ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus… look full in His wonderful face… and the things of earth will grow strangely dim… in the light of His glory and grace.’
Engage now in the divine expressions of God!
TESTIMONIALS
Comments on the IWG Journal
From Clarion, Iowa, K.L. wrote: “What a blessing it is to read your monthly journal…such great truths that the Holy Spirit has inspired you to write! I love God’s Word, but after reading this, I need to DEVOUR more! It’s His Word that changes us from the inside out! Sometimes I allow my ‘busyness’ to come between my time with the Lord. It’s like I’m missing a meal! Thank you Linda for allowing the Lord to use you in a mighty way.”
From Clive, Iowa, M.C. wrote, “I loved, and I mean loved your last newsletter. Just the words I needed. I too was rocked by – ‘My Word is bigger than you think.’ So simple, so powerful, so deep, so awesome, all we need and more.”
From West Des Moines, Iowa, V.W. wrote, “I thought your monthly letter was especially ‘anointed.’
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LINDA SPEAKS AT THE MUSCATINE AGLOW - Oct. 2nd, 2010 at 10 AM; held at the MCSA Bldg., 312 Iowa Ave., Muscatine, Iowa, 52761.
KHOP – Plan to be a part of the prayer, praise and worship taking place many hours of the day and night at the Kingdom House of Prayer, 1212 NW 36th St. in Ankeny, Ia. Experience the divine atmosphere of soaking in the Presence of the Lord. By all means, surely do not miss The Voice on Friday nights! (7 PM) Get more info at: www.kingdomhop.org
WOMEN’S HERMITAGE – OCT. 7-10, 2010. Is your heart longing for a deeper more intimate relationship with your King of glory? If so, the Autumn Women’s Hermitage is where you’ll want to be. Plan now for your astounding journey into silence and solitude with God in your own, beautiful, private little one-room cabin! For more information or to register, please contact us at the information below. It’s only weeks away, so you must call quickly to reserve your spot! It’s a life-changing experience!
LINDA’S BOOKS - Armageddon Bride, endorsed by Lou Engle and others, is about the moral issues of today that are playing havoc in many societies globally, mainly the marriage issue. ($14, plus $4 shipping) Words Aptly Spoken, endorsed by Francis Frangipane as well as others, is about IWG ministry’s Prophetic Prayer Journey to Iowa’s 99 County Courthouses. It’s a grid work and prototype for all that is about to shake America and beyond. ($20, plus $4 shipping)