The Love of Your Betrothal

As many of y’all know we just had the first of three women’s retreats up here in Moss Hill, and I can say that this was a much needed weekend of the manifest presence of God. I have been having a very hard time with the mental warfare for the past 2 months or so, and God brought so much clarity this weekend. Prior to this weekend I was noticing that I was becoming a bit more whiney than usual, and my attitude wasn’t the best. I felt so lost, I felt as if the revelation wells had dried, and I no longer felt God. God reminded me that living for Him is not a feeling, but a knowing. At times you are going to walk through some hard things, but that is only in preparation to where you are going. What Lavonne preached this weekend really pierced the depths of my heart. She talked about the preparation of Ester for her king, and that the myrrh oil that was rubbed into her skin daily was for preparation for her to meet her Bridegroom. Myrrh is a representation of bitter oil and during our preparation stages the oil may feel bitter and hard but it is only to prepare us for a new season with the Bridegroom. God began to speak to me, and give me the vision of why I am here and why I am living my life consecrated for Him. I am here to live as an example for my generation, and every generation that is to follow. I have a mandate from God to take back this young generation to live only for Him. I burn in my heart to go after and pray for those young ones that are lost. I burn for them to get off of drugs, to not drink, to not get drawn into sex and pornography, so that they can live lives consecrated towards God. I am to live a life of holiness with no compromise, so that the younger generation can see that it can be done. I am to live this way to prove that not all Christians are just talk. God told me it is not about what you say, but about how you live. He is burning for a generation that has the knowledge of who He is, and that become friends of the Bridegroom as John the Baptist was (John 3:29). God has given us a call to virtue, which leads us into holiness. We are to live not for ourselves, but for the younger ones behind us. I refuse to allow things in the church to continue as usual. We had miracles occur this weekend. People that had to walk with canes walked without them, people that had broken hearts were restored, and people that had torn shoulders were healed. O, to have the glory and wonder restored to the church is what He is calling us to. We are not to whine any longer about what we go through, but are to rejoice for what He is preparing us for.

Jeremiah 2:2

2 "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: "I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.

                This scripture has been griping me to the core of my existence for the past week. I believe this is what God is saying in this very hour. God is so emotional, He has real emotions. He reminisces of the days of our youth. He remembers the beginning days of our Christian walks when we burned with passion for Him. He thinks of the days where we didn’t eat or sleep just because there was another meeting to go. He remembers when we would do anything to get more of Him, and when to just spend time with Him. We need to get back to our first love just as Hagar did with Hosea (Hosea 2:7). We used to go after Him in the wilderness, and now when we see a little lack of rain we abandon Him. Let us get back to the place where we searched for Him in the hardest places of our lives resting in full assurance that we will find Him. Let us sow our time in the wilderness place with Him, so that when He causes it to rain that we reap a good harvest bearing good fruit. He is wooing us to the secret place with Him. He is longing for us to run back to Him in the secret place. He wants to show us His heart. He wants for us to burn for Him as we once did in the early days. Let us run to His feet as Mary did just to hear Him speak (Luke 10:39). It is not about how much work we do, but how much time we allow ourselves to give to have a relationship with Him. The word betrothal means engaged to or promised to marry. He wants us to go back to the place of love as in an engagement. I have never been married or engaged, but I can imagine the excitement and love there is in engagement. Being married to God is no different than being married to a person on earth. The engagement and beginning of the marriage is so wonderful filled with puppy love, but as the marriage progresses it takes continual work. Yet again I speak from no experience but just simply from what I have seen. It takes work to upkeep that same burning love you have for your spouse that you had for them in the beginning. You will go through hard times, but true love endures all things. It is the same with God. You will go through things with Him in the marriage to Him, but you must remember the engagement to Him. He is always wooing us to a deeper place with Him. He is always longing to show us more love, but there comes pain with the growth process. Allow yourselves to rekindle that fire to burn for Him as you once did.

                Lord I pray that each of those people that read this gain a revelation of your love. I pray that they rekindle that first love fire that they had for You in their youth. I pray that they run after you in the wilderness, in the dry place, that they once did as before. I pray that you open their eyes to new facets of who they are in You. Take them deeper Lord, take them deeper in the secret place with You. Spark the same passion in their hearts for You, that You have for them. I pray that when they look at You or hear Your name their eyes burn with passionate desire. I pray a renewal of the kindness of their youth, and the love of their betrothal. We need more Lord. Let us decrease so that You can increase in our hearts. Give us a new understanding of being Your Brides. Teach us to love you when we do not feel Your love. Teach us to press deeper when we do not feel like it. Teach us to praise You when times get harder. O Lord, we long and burn for you as the seraphim do. Let this be sealed upon our hearts Daddy. We need you so much more. Shoot a fire throughout our bones. Send a reviving breath to our Spirits. Let us once again be wooed by Your love. Let there be a new betrothal to You as we had in the beginning. Let there be a longing and burning. Begin to say yes to Him as He asks for your hand. Let Him take you up here as it states in Revelation 4. Allow Him to show you things, great and wondrous things.  Let Him become the very essence of your life once again. Let us return to the place of first love. Do not feel guilty for falling out of love with Him, but yearn to run back to His embrace. Do not settle for where you are at, but yearn and long for more. Allow yourselves to be live in purified devotion for Him. He is awakening love yet again. He is awakening His Bride to a new love, to a deeper love. He wants our hearts flowing for Him like they were in the early day. Let everything for Him come forth from Your heart. Amen!