The Lord says: I love you so much. I will work in you and restore and mend you because I love you because I want you to be effective. You are my tool. I want you to be the most effective tool you can be. You are
designed for a purpose. I do not want you rusted out and broken. That is why I call out to you, I woo you in a tool is made to be used not to be clean and beautiful and then to sit on a shelf, not to be left outside for the elements to rust and destroy so again never be used. The enemy wants you to never be used. He will do whatever it takes to keep you on a shelf even to the extent of letting you be cleaned so you think you are ready. Nothing is going to hold you back. You are clean, polished, sharpened and well used. Take care of your self so that you can last for a long time, I still have much for you to do. Do not be intimidated by new models that come out with new methods. There is still a need for you, You are still effective and will become more so the more you let Me use you soak and be changed, be oiled (let My Holy Spirit move in you) Yes, open yourself up to the crazy things I am telling you to do, I have been telling you for a long time. Now is the time to listen You do these little ones and I will give you more to do. Do not let anyone talk you down from the things I will call you to. This is where the adventure begins. Be faithful in little and I will give you much! One day I was feeling sorry for myself because I don’t get thanks from those that I am feeding. (It’s hard teaching high schoolers sometimes). Everyone else gets the kudos yet I feel like I pour my whole self into them with never a thank you. We are a small school and I didn’t get asked to speak at graduation and I realized I probably never will because I am like the mom who pushes my students to grow up - I push them out of the nest to never return. As I was feeling sorry for myself, God said: You are in good company. I healed ten lepers yet only one came back to say thank you. You feed them – you give of yourself – that is what I called you – I created you to do that – why do you need thanks? You obey Me no matter what. Are You going to give more if you get kudos? No. The cow gives of itself to feed many. That is what it is born to do. It doesn’t expect thanks after we eat of it because it is dead. If you were dead, you would not need the thanks. When we pray before a meal to give thanks for the food – we don’t thank the cow for giving up its life for us – we thank the Creator of the cow. Do you want the thanks or do you want Me to get the thanks – the glory – or the meals you disperse? This was one of those messages that really hit me hard and I have had to constantly go back over and remember that it is time to become a dead cow and make sure that I am always pointing to Jesus. May He reign in our lives and may others see Him! I wait for you to desire Me When you yearn for Me, I will be there in power
How much of Me do you want? How often will you call on Me, your love? Will you depend on Me? Will you search for Me in your day? Will I just be a part of your early morning; or will you invite Me to the rest of your day? Will you look for Me in everything you do? Don’t relegate Me to the lyrics from a song that say “I find you when I fall apart.” Expand My territory in your life Make Me a part of every waking hour Make Me a part of every decision to be made Seek Me before you move before you act before a word is on your lips When you feel emotions rise up, run to Me to show you how to react Ask Me what to say Allow Me to flow in you for everything People will see your peace, your new found joy, your desire to talk about Me Desire to honor Me with everything you do Your willingness to serve others above what you want is what pleases My heart I love to watch you give of yourself to meet another’s need That is why I must be in everything you do You will burn out and complain if you are doing it in your own strength If it is just you, you will fail. You will get crabby and demanding I want everyone to see your perfect peace and joy daily no matter what life throws your way For its not about circumstances or the joys or sorrows life offers It’s about Me Where am I in the circumstances? What am I saying in the hard stuff of life? What do I want to do in the pain? How do I want to use you? When they see Me – I am glorified and My Father is lifted high Our name will be praised – We will be famous For you are Our ambassador Show Us well Show Us often Depend on Us often and you will be amazed at the end results every time You will be able to step back and say, “Wow, that was not me, that was Him” I want you to be able to step back every time you do something and say, “Wow, where did that come from? I’m not that good.” Whether you are speaking or teaching or chatting with a friend or talking to a stranger. Whether you are painting or sewing or drawing. Whatever you do, do all for the glory of God That is how this verse will be made known in you Be patient, I am working it in you Relax and wait on Me Wait for Me before you move and you will stand amazed. Sometimes I feel like broken pottery thrown into a heap of broken pieces.
But this is a lie. God says; I would never discard you to the ash heap. No child of mine will be thrown away or set aside to be useless all thei day. The world may break you. Life may blow huge holes in your vessel. Circumstances will crack you, but now there are so many places where can shine through. Many will not let me shine through their broken places. They are ashamed and embarrassed by the cracks and slivers they have obtained in life. But everyone has cracks. Everyone has broken places. If you don’t have broken places, would you ever come to Me? Would I ever be able to mae you more glorious than you ever thought you could be? Or would you be sitting on a shelf thinking you are so grand? It’s the broken ones that I fix that will far outshine any lovely piece with no cracks. Now you have a choice. You can remain, a broken, unused vessel, it is your choice. Or you can come to me and let me heal you and restore all the broken places. I can, you know. Be warned though, you may not look the same when I am done with you but you will look like Me. I will fill all the broken places with Me. So not only will you be able to be used but you will be more beautiful than when you started and they will see Me! The more brokenness restored, the more they will see Me. Remember, the greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph! (Go to youtube and watch “The Butterfly Circus”) Will you be a lovely untouched vessel on a shelf? Will you be a broken, cracked vessel lying in a heap refusing to be fixed? Or will you let me touch all your broken places and restore you to a greater glory than you can ever imagine? May we let Him fix us so we may shine for Him! I am holding your heart in My hands
I am the keeper of your heart Don’t hide from Me Don’t hide your pains You should have no secret pains because I can see all But if you close the door if you build a wall around your heart I can’t come in and bring the healing salve that you need Don’t lock the Doctor out of the hospital Don’t be afraid to let your emotions show with Me I will hold you in your pain It doesn’t all have to make sense to you Just know that I am God and the keeper of your heart I will bring no damage to your heart I will never let go Yes, I will allow tragedy, hardships, frustrations and hurt But I will never let go of your heart I will hold you together even when you feel it is broken beyond repair When the wounds seem to overtake you Remember to call on Me Let deep call to deep Let Me come and heal Let Me sit beside you as you weep I will heal you I will make you whole Your trust in Me will grow Do you think trust grows when you get everything you want? Do you really see who I am when life is exactly what you wanted? I just become a forgotten genie in a dusty bottle I want to be your intimate lover I want you to be obsessed with being with Me I want you to hunger, crave for Me because you know that only I have the Words of life Only I have the life you need When you are broken, you’re eyes are opened to Me Don’t put up the walls Don’t lock up your heart Let yourself feel the pain I will sit with you as you cry I will hold you You can rest your head on your Daddy’s shoulder I won’t ever think your pain is foolish even if man thinks you are Grieving over nothing The important thing is to let Me in to let Me do the healing work of the Doctor The Doctor is in. The Doctor is Always in! Did you ever see a tree after it has been soaked with rain? As the wind blows, it drops rain from its branches. That’s how I want you to be. Spend time with Me and I will fill you up so you are drenched with Me. Then when the winds blow you will rain Me down on others. (This is so different from the picture of the cup that gets bumped and we ask what spills out. This has always felt so negative.) If you are drenched in Me, you can only spill out Me. What else? You have never really walked in this. You have had times of sitting with Me. Now, My lamb, come to the water and be filled with Me daily. Stir up the oil and let Me renew and replace so it stays fresh in you. The oil inside – Me in you – that’s what this is all about. Let Me set you on fire. Warm oil washing over you brings cleansing. Cold oil is dead – there is no life in it. Like oil from a bottle, we try to package up an experience with God and see how long it can last and try to pour out the old oil from years ago and wonder why it has no effect. You cannot bottle up the old to use later like manna. There is no life in it. It has to be fresh daily, sometimes hourly! Sit and let Me pour in the warm oil to every part of you. Others will come and nest in your branches for there is safety there. Some will sit at your feet just to receive from the drops of the branches. Do not disappoint them. Stay filled with me so that your branches and leaves will always be drenched and ready to drench others. We see the little pieces of what you are doing.
You give us glimpses into your plan and we get bent out of shape when we don’t understand you. But you are God, so who says You ever have to show us anything? And yet You do! You open our eyes – You show us glimpses of your plan. And that’s a good thing that we only see a little. We could never comprehend if we saw it all. We would run before we should. But false starts don’t win the race. Trust means always knowing He knows the plan and resting in the knowledge that it’s okay if I don’t. Being able to sleep while someone drives to our destination knowing they know how to get there. That’s trust. Can I sit back and rest knowing He knows the way for me? Maps don’t give you the total picture. You don’t know what businesses you’ll pass, what trees will be in the area, which parks are the most beautiful or what restaurant has the best pie. And yet, if you follow the map you will get to your destination so you really don’t need to know every detail. You know the basics if you’ve read your road map (the Bible) so follow the roads but don’t forget to keep your eyes open as you journey. The unknowns can be the most beautiful parts. Don’t be so focused on the road that you miss Me in all the other places. Most people don’t take a road trip and later talk about how great the road was. They will talk about the beauty of the sunset, the trees as they change color or the lake they passed. Once you’ve experienced it, you will want to go back and see it again. Follow My road map (the Bible) and then open your eyes and drink in all I will show you along the way. There is so much I want you to see. Sometimes your greatest sorrow, Sometimes your greatest joy. Trust that I know which one to bring at what time. It is all part of the molding process. Let every area of clarity, every area where you get a glimpse of my plan be like a ladder supporting you until you get to the next area of understanding. Remember I am there. Even in the gaps where you cannot see. TRUST. Go to sleep and let me drive the car. I will take you on the greatest adventure! It is time to fight. It is time to be on the offensive daily. No more
sitting back and waiting to be hit. Get on your horse and charge. Be at the ready all day – not just first thing in the morning. Be on the lookout all day. Don’t tolerate the frustrations – tell them to flee. Don’t live in the pig sty and hope you will be happy because you have Me. Get out of the pig sty. Yes, there are still trials in life but you don’t have to endure every one that you do, some you could have told to go away. Tell the mountain to move. Daughter of the King, use the authority I have given you. Mountains would step aside for you if you’d only walk in the authority you have. Warrior Bride quit admiring your sword and use it. You have spent years polishing it – it is ready! What good is it go know the Word if you never use it? Get it in you and then let it flow from you. Let Me see and the world see that you have actually digested your meal and it is a part of you. Eat your meal – but that is not enough. Anyone can eat and then throw it back up (spiritual bulimia). Then the meal does you no good but to fool everyone who think you’re eating. Don’t do that with the Word. You eat (read) but do you let it settle deep inside of you? Does it become a part of your bloodstream – your very essence – the part that makes you survive and thrive? Does it change the way you think? Do you still have a world view or a biblical world view? When you eat food – you have energy to live today. You can tell by the way you look. There is a look to those who are hungry or those who are starving. There is a look to My starving children too. The constant stress and frustration, The anger and selfishness. My children who eat properly - eat of My Word and sit down at meal with Me they would thrive, they would be oozing Me out on those around them. They would have their weapons on ready to war for those in need. I want to send My children out to change the world – not to make it a better place but to point to Me, Heaven is the better place. You don’t need to make earth your paradise. I never intended you to stay here forever or you to love this place. You have a home with Me. This place (earth) can never be fixed until I wipe out all sin and destroy all evil. So don’t plant yourself so firmly in a place that can never be paradise. Don’t make your goal to have heaven on earth – “to be happy.” When did I ever say that you would be happy here? Or that your goal should be to be happy? You don’t belong here. There should be a longing in you that cannot be quenched by anything here. There will be a hole – a missing piece – because your home is with Me, not here. This is not paradise – quit wishing it was. Fulfillment comes only in Me, Abiding in Me. Stay attached to the vine with a ferocious determination that hangs on because you know if you let go you are dead. Abundant life doesn’t mean the riches of this world. Blessing doesn’t mean comfort and ease here. Do you not remember the way I lived here? Abundant life is the tree planted by the water that flourishes with life for others to feed on because the life that flows from it is Me. I am the only answer - Speak out what is true - Use your sword – it is time to fight! Sometimes I feel like broken pottery thrown into a heap of broken pieces. But this is a lie. God says; I would never discard you to the ash heap. No child of mine will be thrown away or set aside to be useless all their day. The world may break you. Life may blow huge holes in your vessel. Circumstances will crack you, but now there are so many places where I can shine through. Many will not let me shine through their broken places. They are ashamed and embarrassed by the cracks and slivers they have obtained in life. But everyone has cracks. Everyone has broken places. If you don’t have broken places, would you ever come to Me? Would I ever be able to make you more glorious than you ever thought you could be? Or would you be sitting on a shelf thinking you are so grand? It’s the broken ones that I fix that will far outshine any lovely piece with no cracks. Now you have a choice. You can remain, a broken, unused vessel, it is your choice. Or you can come to me and let me heal you and restore all the broken places. I can, you know. Be warned though, you may not look the same when I am done with you but you will look like Me. I will fill all the broken places with Me. So not only will you be able to be used but you will be more beautiful than when you started and they will see Me! The more brokenness restored, the more they will see Me. Remember, the greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph! (Go to you to be and watch “The Butterfly Circus”) Will you be a lovely untouched vessel on a shelf? Will you be a broken, cracked vessel lying in a heap refusing to be fixed? Or will you let me touch all your broken places and restore you to a greater glory than you can ever imagine? May we let Him fix us so we may shine for Him! Did you ever see a tree after it has been soaked with rain?
As the wind blows, it drops rain from its branches. That’s how I want you to be. Spend time with Me and I will fill you up so you are drenched with Me. Then when the winds blow you will rain Me down on others. This is so different from the picture of the cup that gets bumped and we ask what spills out. This has always felt so negative. If you are drenched in Me, you can only spill out Me. What else? You have never really walked in this. You have had times of sitting with Me. Now, My lamb, come to the water and be filled with Me daily. Stir up the oil and let Me renew and replace so it stays fresh in you. The oil inside – Me in you – that’s what this is all about. Let Me set you on fire. Warm oil washing over you brings cleansing. Cold oil is dead – there is no life in it. Like oil from a bottle, we try to package up an experience with God and see how long it can last and try to pour out the old oil from years ago and wonder why it has no effect. You cannot bottle up the old to use later like manna. There is no life in it. It has to be fresh daily, sometimes hourly! Sit and let Me pour in the warm oil to every part of you. Others will come and nest in your branches for there is safety there. Some will sit at your feet just to receive from the drops of the branches. Do not disappoint them. Stay filled with me so that your branches and leaves will always be drenched and ready to drench others. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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