As I was initially inspired to write this post through Art’s message, I thought the title would be different than I have now titled it. This is because at the time I was listening, a familiar pain had already been brewing in my heart and then came to its fullness yesterday. I didn't realize at that time that these things would be linked together and would form a message that I very much needed to hear. I desire to share this with my brothers and sisters who may also be in a similar situation -- for His glory and your edification. First I want to share that the title of Art’s message is called, “Knowing from Whence He Came”. This message reveals the deep revelation and impact of the knowing of the depth of what our Messiah, God incarnate, sacrificed to step out of complete and perfect oneness with the Father, that which He eternally had before the foundation of the world, to come to our realm and literally BE us. He became us to the point He took on our wretchedness and filth to crucify it and gain the ultimate victory over it – all in utter purity and obedience to the Holy One of Light. What He left behind is unfathomable, and Art does an amazing job, only through the Spirit, in revealing this. His goal was to help us see, as it was revealed to him, the magnitude of which can only be seen with spiritual eyes -- that we may have this KNOWING inscribed in us and as a result be able to do just as our Messiah and Savior did – sacrifice ourselves. This message is the reality of our existence, and it is simply not preached or taught much at all. As I was listening to this, several things began to come up in my heart and mind – all while a totally separate thing was going on in me… the brewing of a familiar pain that I thought was finally in my past. I’ll share about that part later. This message was all about the true knowing and adoration of the Messiah – not the “adoration” of the world that is abused in its use of this word, but the true meaning of adoration that is only applicable to the Savior and King of the world. It is an adoration that is authentic, pure, and steadfast because we KNOW; we KNOW the depths of His sacrifice. We know as He did. Art gives his full two-hour message primarily on one scripture that speaks of this knowing… Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God… John 13:3 Amazing thing is that this is also applicable to us. Do we truly know within ourselves, the depth of our being, that we have come from God, Yahuah, and are going back to God? And do we fully understand all that our Savior sacrificed to rescue and save us -- before the foundation of the world as well as in the world? This knowing is best described in Hebrews 10:34, as Art shared: For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Hebrews 10:34 This knowing we must have is inscribed in the fiber of our souls and being. It is the knowing that secures our oneness with Him and equips us for full endurance. It is a “knowing within ourselves”, which is the very expanded version of believing. Believing is not enough; we must know that we know that we know, to the point that our actions live this knowing consistently. It's a settled knowing that becomes our identity, and it cannot be shaken. As we are growing into this place of knowing, many times our circumstances and trials and sufferings can create a pothole in the road for us. The sometimes unbearable related feelings can become so overwhelming that our knowing becomes clouded and distorted, and we begin to base the knowing on our felt "truth" instead of the truth. In my own present journey, I know this process quite well and find myself weary at times revisiting the things that I thought were overcome. This can be discouraging, but I know without doubt that He finishes. It is already finished, accomplished, and done. He will finish His own workmanship; He will perfect His own -- those He purchased with His sacrifice and His own blood. So in the midst of hearing and receiving this wonderful message by Art Katz, a test was being prepared for me. I will not go into the minute details, but I will say that it involved the possibility of me finally having the joy of being near family again but then having the sinking disappointment that this may not be after all. This triggered something in me. As many of you you know, I lost my family (mom, dad, and brother) in a fairly short period of time, and it has changed me in all honesty. I know it has been for my good (because He said ALL things are for my good); but not all good is fully manifested yet. I will admit I still struggle in many ways. Very shortly after these losses, the Father also asked me to relinquish all needs of comfort that I thought I could have from my sons and to solely rely on Him. That was hard, because the presence of my sons could have made my wounded and weary flesh heal a bit faster… or so I thought. That was not Father’s plan… He was to be my sole Source for this healing. While it felt like the most horrible thing that could happen to me in the midst of so much loss, I can look back now and see the absolute love in it – the total love of my Bridegroom being the only one to comfort and heal me. I know He is jealous over this, because I am His Bride, but in all honestly, I want to KNOW this every second of every day without wavering!! I want to live every day in the absolute knowing of what He sacrificed for me and that I am truly His as His Beloved Bride -- without one single doubt. I have said this many times in the last months and remember when this understanding hit me… the Father’s love for us is so great (and the Word actually calls it “cruel”) that He will allow whatever level of suffering is required that He may have us with Him forever and ever. He will allow us to suffer so greatly to the point we feel we could die in our hearts – all so that we can be in His very presence always. In other words, He will do with us what it takes to have us, just as He did with Himself to have us. He will not lose us; therefore, He will “kill” us here if that’s what it takes (and obviously I am speaking of levels of suffering and death to flesh). And unfortunately, that is what it takes. While our Savior was God incarnate, He experienced and felt even greater sufferings that we could never bear, but He overcame. The Word says that He learned obedience by the things He suffered. We also must do the same, and while the Son had the Father in Him to be His strength to endure, we have the Son in us to do the same (for He in us is the hope of glory!). Many times, however, we put a stop or delay to this suffering through following our unbearable feelings and resulting murmuring, and then the process starts over again. If we are His, it shall be, and therefore, we simply must deliver ourselves up to suffer as He did, knowing we will ultimately endure, overcome, and obtain the reward. That is the promised glory of pain. So yea, I can say all of this and understand it, but can I live it? Can I reach the place of knowing the magnitude of His sacrifice (to that degree that Art describes in his message) and living this by my own complete sacrifice for Him? I so want to, but at the same time I know I cannot in myself. It can only be done by His power, His love, and His Spirit in me. I can only surrender and obey, which I will admittedly say that it is not always easy – no way is it easy when the feelings of suffering overtake to the point our bones within our physical bodies are screaming in weakness – reaching the point in our hearts that we would rather give up than feel the pain anymore. David wrote about this feeling – and so here we have the very “man after God’s own heart” struggling just as we do. What a comfort!! Selah… O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; for my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. Psalm 88:1-7 We know that David overcame… by the Word – the Son and Spirit of the living God -- and His immeasurable grace. He knew the Messiah in the way that Art Katz explains; he knew the depths of the salvation of God. Obviously this too is our remedy. This is also our lot – this is our life and the plan of our full redemption and Bridal preparation. It is our destiny… to suffer, to be transformed, and all to the glory of God, to become His image. This is not to say the Father does not bless us and give us the desires of our hearts, both spiritually and physically. He does, and we don't deserve it. This is to say, however, that we cannot be conformed into the fullness of His image without suffering; it is impossible, because the Savior Himself set that in motion. And to be in the direct presence of a Holy God full of Light... to be the actual Bride of the Son of God, we must reflect the Son. This morning as I was processing my overwhelming feelings of sorrow and disappointment, I wrote down some truths about these “things” that can overtake us and force us to believe their reality, when in fact, many times true reality is the opposite. These are the things that take our knowing backwards into the reality of our pain instead of the reality of His sacrificial love which sets us free, even in the midst of pain. I would like to share these now:
It is further an amazement to me that as I was experiencing all this in the last 3-4 days, my sister Pietra was preparing her latest teaching – perfectly connected to what I have shared, including Art's message. His message and her teaching go hand in hand, and both spoke to me before, during, and after my little sorrow episode. The Father was ahead of me, just as He is always is! I also know that there are others close to me going through similar things where past wounds and the associated pain have resurfaced, and we know there is a purpose! It is important that we see and appreciate that as we go through these things, our Father is behind the scenes preparing an answer and understanding and direction for us through His chosen vessels (or other means). He is always timely and provides His strength at the exact moment of need. Pietra's message was the icing on the cake in my situation, giving me more in-depth understanding of the reason for my continued suffering, my sometimes erroneous expectations of spiritual things, and the reminder needed that this all simply must be for me to have that which I crave and desire. As she said to me this morning, "Remember, He is dealing with you as His child, not a bastard". That alone was a "case closed" truth needed to press on! Earlier in this post, I spoke of us delivering ourselves us to the suffering that is required for our perfection (completion) in Yahusha. As I typed that, I thought of what Pietra shares in this latest teaching… that ultimately we reach the point that we actually DESIRE this suffering. We don’t just go through with it as our "only choice" or because it's the right thing. We become like Him and even like our brother Paul and others and find the glory in it so much greater that we begin to actually desire and joy in this suffering. That feels far away for me, but with Him all things are possible. Bottom line is that the call is great, and the cost is great – greater than we ever imagined or expected. But then again, it was the same for our Bridegroom – except that He KNEW and He still did it. Truly knowing this (the innermost knowing) is what will bring us the actual desire to suffer alongside Him and for as long as it takes. In closing, I would like to share both the message from Art Katz, “Knowing from Whence He Came”, as well as Pietra’s latest teaching applicably called, “Servants of the Most High God”, should you be lead to partake and receive. Again, these are both connected to each other, and both are related to the personal things I shared. The Father orchestrated the timing of everything as a full message to me as it transpired, and therefore I know it is likely going to be exactly what someone else needs to hear as well. Both messages are rich in truth that will deeply inspire and bring a joy of understanding that will revive our weary hearts. May you be blessed and edified! All praise, glory, and honor to the One and Only Holy One – our Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, Savior, and Father. May we keep our eyes solely on Him, even when it feels that our eyes and hearts are failing us; in this we are sure to overcome. Please note, playbacks for Art's teaching on other websites is not allowed, so to listen you will have to go directly to YouTube via the button below. For consistency sake, I will link Pietra's teaching the same way.
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Special NoteThese writings are written in love and a spirit of servitude. They are not designed to judge but make us think. We are all sinners in need of saving, and we all need encouragement and absolute truth to endure on the narrow road to sanctification and ultimately eternal life. Categories
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