the remnant of God – The Gritfull Life

Deep Calls To Deep

The Lord showed me Psalm 42 today and gave me a word for someone who has been struggling to find God in this season.

Here is what Psalm 42 says:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with my God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon- from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

By the day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me– a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day, “Where is your God?”

Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

For the person who is battling depression, loneliness, separation and maybe even isolation, this psalm is for you. You might be living life with a mask- the you that you let the world see, and the secret you who battles the same thoughts and feelings as the psalmist wrote. This psalm was written by one of the sons of Korah who was a temple musician. What this tells me is that, even someone who was appointed by God to lead others in praise can keep struggles buried deep inside of them that perhaps no one will ever know or see. But let’s remember that the struggles are there whether you choose to let others see them or not. God sees them. And He sees YOU.

This person might call themself a christian but their life and possibly even their secret life testifies against them. They’re doing things that they know do not please God in an effort to soothe themselves, but I’m here to tell you that secret sins are not a security blanket for the believer or anyone else for that matter. They wind up causing guilt, self-condemnation, and even shame. The psalmist, even cries out to God, asking, “Where are you?” “Why have you forgotten me??” “Why must I go on feeling this way, suffering?” It sounds as though the psalmist is even dealing with physical pain in his body, and whether it’s actual people taunting him by saying God isn’t real, or the enemy screaming, “Where is your God?” the clamoring is almost too much for his mind and spirit to take.

The psalmist goes on to do what David did- he spoke to himself in TRUTH declaring in spite of what he was feeling, in spite of his physical pain, in spite of the mocking by the devil and others: “Put your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” He says my soul is downcast, therefore I choose to remember you from the land of the Jordan- from a place where you parted the waters for our people. A place where we stepped into our promised land. A place where you commanded us to set up memorial stones so that we would never forget the great things you did for us in Egypt. In the wilderness of our lives. I choose to remember the good things you’ve done for me and believe that you’re the same God- you’ve still got good things for me!

The deep things, the deep love of God is calling out to the deep things in you. The person He knows you can become- who he created you to be that the devil or maybe even you have tried to bury. He’s calling to the deep hurts in you- some of those hurts have been caused by others while you have also afflicted yourself with many of the wounds you carry. You might be in a place now where you feel forgotten by God, but the psalmist says, “By the day the Lord directs his love, at night (the literal night but also the dark times in our lives) his song is with me- in other words, I pray to him, I cry out to him, I cast my deep hurts, pains, and pleading prayers out to him in prayer. He hears you. He’s listening. He’s waiting for you to drop what you’ve been gripping onto and come to him whole heartedly so he can heal you.

The Lord gave me this word this morning to share:

“Stop drinking from the wrong wells. You’ve tried porn. You’ve tried relationships. You’ve tried filling yourself at the work well. At the wells of owning things you thought would make you happy and satisfied. Are you satisfied?

No- you are still thirsty. Your soul pants for water that it knows not of- and everything else has left you dissatisfied. You can consume and consume, but I tell you it will NEVER be satisfying. Your thirst only gets greater. The holes, the gaps only get wider. How much longer will you resist coming to me to quench your thirst? My water satisfies. My well never runs out. It bubbles up and becomes springs of living water inside of you. You will find rest, peace, joy at my well. I bid you to come!

This water does not sour after you drink it. It does not cause shame, guilt, or bitterness. It’s a water you can swim in, you can float in. My water washes the stains of bitterness, rejection, and condemnation off of you.

Come in and believe. Be immersed. Be changed. Leave the bad things and be revived,” says the Lord.

Sometimes words like these can make us feel uncomfortable because we are seen. There may be aspects of this word that resonate with you more than others. The point being is that God is saying it’s time to come back to him. Be revived. He calls out the things that he can see because he wants you to know he sees everything you think, feel, and do, and he still LOVES YOU.

Speaking from personal experience, acting your way into a feeling is a lot harder than feeling your way into acting. You have to go to God in faith when you don’t feel him. There are things that die on the inside of us that keep us from feeling. As you go to God’s well for cleansing, healing and renewal, your physical and spiritual senses will be revived. Your hunger for the word of God and the presence of God will be renewed, and you WILL yet praise him again. I’m praying for you, and believing for you.

-Jessica

Remember Your First Love

A word from the Lord:

“My people are asleep. They have allowed the cares of this world to draw them away from their first love, but time is short. The harvest is coming, and I am preparing the threshing floor. Those whose hearts are rooted in me will be saved. And as the wheat is separated from the chaff, so will I separate those who worship me in Spirit and in Truth. Do not mourn for them. They had teachers and prophets, but they made their choice as I knew they would.

Consecrate yourself for my purposes for such a time as this. I am going to get my glory. The time has come and there are still those who must come to the well. Do what I tell you to do. Say what I tell you to say. Lives depend on it.”

Obviously this is a very sobering word. I went to the Bible for deeper understanding of several points God made in this word he spoke to me.

God’s People Are Asleep

In 1Thessalonians 4:4-8, the bible states:

“4But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. 5For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.”

God is about to wake up his church. He is making his bride ready for his return.

But his word says that not everyone will be ready.

He illustrates this in The Parable of the 10 Virgins.

²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

They Have Forgotten Their First Love

In the book of Revelation, chapter 2, God gives a warning to the church of Ephesus. Ephesus is known as “the compromising church” in the last days before the return of the Lord. The Lord tells them:

²I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The Harvest Is Coming

The threshing floor is a place where God separates the wheat (the harvest) from the chaff (the things of no value to the farmer). God’s word says that he values those who walk in righteousness, whose ways are fully pleasing to him, who bear fruit in every good work, and who increase in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). Just as all mankind is given a choice, we are not to mourn for those who have chosen life outside of the salvation of Jesus Christ. God’s word also says not to look back, but to keep our hand to the plow and keep to the harvest (Luke 9:62). Lives depend on our bringing the hope of Jesus into their hopeless situations.

It’s Time To Dedicate Yourself To The Lord’s Purposes

God clearly said that it’s time to make the decision to consecrate yourself for his purpose now. I can’t help but think of Esther who had just become queen when the decree for the slaughter of the jews was made by Haman and the king. Mordecai spoke these words:

13And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

God is faithful. He will do that which he says he will do. He will deliver his people whether you’re on board or not.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been asking God for clarity or confirmation for your role in the ingathering of believers, I pray you receive confirmation from his word and that you seek the Lord for your specific role. We are his hands and feet. We are his light in this dark world.

Lead Others To The Well

The truth is our words and our actions in these days either point to the hope of Jesus or they testify against it. My mom used to say, “preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” Today is the day to wake up from sleep for our salvation is nearer than before. Open your bible and commune with God. He is waiting to speak with you. Make time for him in your daily schedule. How can you do what he wants and say what he needs you to say if you haven’t made time to listen to him? Yield to him, and let him use you!

There are divine appointments ahead on your journey.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”