Day 18 – Consecrated to Love
Friday August 10

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."

Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"

"They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.

Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?"

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."

Jesus said, "Mary."

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"

Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'"

Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her. (John 20:1-18 The Message)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

How important are you to God? How precious? How irreplaceable? We all know the “right” answers to these questions, but what about deep down in your heart?

When we hear that God is moving in the nation and that this is the season, the hour, to cross over, to redeem, to possess our inheritance, how do we feel? Excited? Sure. Overwhelmed? Many times. But if we look deep in our hearts do we also find fear? When we look at ourselves - our weaknesses, our failures - and especially if we have been struggling with cycles of death in our lives (areas where we have longed to be free but have not yet attained the victory) - are we afraid that somehow our brokenness will disqualify us from being included in God’s purposes? Are we afraid of missing out or being left behind?

Any place fear has taken root in our hearts is because we lack a revelation of who God is and His love for us. Because perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

Mary’s story at Jesus’ tomb is amazing because in it we glimpse the magnitude of God’s love. In the midst of one of the greatest moments in human history, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, He was moved by the distress of Mary’s heart, enough that He stopped to comfort her. Do you really think that He would do any less for you?

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. Matthew 12:20

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

He wants to speak to our hearts that it’s a new day. God has decreed this is the time of our crossing over and we will cross and nothing the enemy is or has done in our lives can keep us from fulfilling the purpose for which God has ordained us. Our God is a jealous God, passionately in love with us, His Bride. He is not going to tolerate or allow anything to hinder us from being with Him. The blazing fire of His jealous love will destroy any bondages of the enemy.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. Song of Songs 8:6-7

In this season of consecration, God wants to quiet our hearts with a deeper revelation of His love (Zephaniah 3:17) than we have ever experienced before. Let’s pray this prayer together:

God, I know that your promise is that you will never leave or forsake me. Lord, I ask you right now to expose any lying voices of the enemy that may have taken root in my life that tell me that I will miss or be left out of what You are doing in the earth or wanting to do in my life. I renounce those voices and declare them to be unfamiliar/strange to my life. I am familiar with and will hear and follow only the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Father I ask you that out of your glorious riches you might strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!

Comments

Ivanka - Gormley, Ontario
I am very new at this, and am a bit timid, but I feel compelled to relate a vision I had in the clouds last Monday evening (Aug 6).

My husband and I were sitting there praying; I looked up in the sky and saw a very odd formation in the clouds.  It struck me odd to see so many straight, thick lines, and so much detail and it covered a large area.

I saw about 6 very thick and heavy lines (and about another 4 smaller and more faint lines), looking like army flanks, attacking a large odd shaped mass, which was quilt -like, in that it appeared to be made up of little squares with different patterns in the squares.  The reason I can't say 6 for sure, is because I was thinking the vision could change very quickly and I seemed to be drawn to the large mass.

The paragraph in today's communication(Day 18) "God has decreed that this is the time of our crossing over and we will cross and nothing the enemy is or has done in our lives, can keep us from fulfilling the purpose for which God has ordained us...."   This statement quickened my heart. This is exactly the impression I received from this vision in the sky.  I saw the evil forces attacking from the East, the (not-yet-completely-formed) Church of Canada which appeared to be moving south.  I saw the forces of evil, reducing in size and strength, while this large mass was completely in tact.  In fact, it was totally un-impacted by the attacks, it actually appeared oblivious to any attack, it just proceeded as if nothing was present outside of the mass, like nothing was there.   It was as if, we were running them over, without realizing that we were running anything over!

Another thing that struck me oddly was that the evil forces changed in shape and intensity quite quickly, but the mass was completely in tact. The fine details in the mass were still perfectly clear.

Lois - Cobourg, Ontario
At present there is a large campaign going on in Ontario (maybe nationwide) with David Suzuki where he states, "You have the power".   I have sensed for weeks that the Lord is telling us that "we" (the body of Christ) have the power" the same power that raised Christ Jesus is in us. I sense the Lord is telling his church that it is time to walk in what the early church walked in. For us to step out in faith, heal the sick, raise the dead to show the Glory of the Lord.

"The kingdom of God is at hand." The Kingdom of God is in our hands. It is time for the church to believe this and to walk in these things.  "We have the Power through Christ Jesus"

The verse I got was in Acts 1:8. These were the last words of Jesus before he ascended. ”But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

"You've Got the Power" Because the Lord has given it to us for "Such a time as this" It is time to embrace it, believe it and to walk in it. The Kingdom of God is within us.!!