whoever finds wisdom finds life

During a recent bout of anemia, I received a revelation from the Lord about the time leading up to and the time during His crucifixion. As my body became very weak, I began to envision the suffering of Jesus Christ as He lost tremendous amounts of blood during His beating and crucifixion. I began to think about what He would have felt in His body and in His mind. Could you imagine the physical weakness, the mental and psychological impairment He must have endured as blood poured out of His body without ceasing? There was no time to heal from the wounds. They came one after another, after another, after another….. His body endured trauma on an extreme scale. His heart rate would have been erratic as it tried to keep His body alive. His vision and thoughts would have been blurry as His brain lacked the necessary oxygen required to function properly. His muscles would have ached and burned as they screamed out for sustenance. God Himself said that the life of the flesh is in t...

About a week ago, the Bradford Pear trees in our city began blooming. It is one of my favorite sights after a long harsh winter. It reminds me that though things can look dead on the surface, there is still life in them. But that is another message for another day! We have a Bradford Pear tree in front of our house and it is the centerpiece of the yard. As a matter of fact, this tree was one of the reasons why we bought our house. What I did not know when we bought the house was that our tree is a little different than the many other Bradford Pear trees in the neighborhood. Our tree is a late bloomer. It is always the last to bloom in spring and the last to change its leaves in the fall. To some people this may seem frustrating or even undesirable, but I love it. To me it is just perfect and so fits with me and my daughter. I, myself am a late bloomer, only just now coming into my own in my 30’s. I believe my daughter is very similar in this regard as well. ...

“…but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMP) This morning as I came before the LORD, I came in a whole new level of brokenness. Not a brokenness due to current circumstances or even due to the attacks of the enemy (though there have been many of both lately). Rather, it’s a brokenness born out of a deeper revelation that I am totally reliant on ...

“My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”” (Song of Songs 2:10-14) For many years I could not read the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) without feeling totally awkward and uncomfortable. The intimate language and scenery was just too much for me to handle and I for sure could not accept its symbolism of the love between Jesus (the Beloved – the Bridegroom) and His Church (the Shulamite – the Bride). But oh, what can happen in a year’s time! For me, 2017 will...

This morning I was singing to the LORD a song by Misty Edwards called “I Give It All.” I was repeating the verse, “You have my love, You have my heart. I give it all to You, I give it all to You,” when the LORD replied: “Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” I was awestruck, and still am to be honest. For so long I considered this scripture (Luke 6:38) only in regards to finances, but it’s so much deeper than that. If you look at the scriptures prior to and after this verse, Jesus was teaching on how to treat one another. He talks about not judging others, not condemning others, forgiving others, not putting yourself above others (as in superior or better than them), and so much more (Luke 6:37-42) There’s something interesting about the greek words used here for “judge” and “condemn” that I want to high...

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead. So they gave a supper for Him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:1-3) What does it mean to minister to the Lord? Most people think “to minister” is to have a preacher, a pastor, or an evangelist speak into your life. Many consider ministry in the form of church services, tent revivals, or missions trips. But there is so much more to ministry than that. There is a ministry that is far above serving one another. There is ministry that is to the Lord. The first mention of man ministering to God is referenced in Exodus 28:35 when God gave instructions regarding the Levite priesthood. He said to Moses: “Now take Aaron yo...

“Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked?...” (Genesis 3:7-11) I don’t know about you, but when I think of NAKEDNESS I almost immediately think of SHAME . Shortly afterward follows the thought “Why am I ashamed of nakedness?” Well some people may reply “You’re just a prude!” or some other much more salacious term I will not speak much less write. And it’s so easy to come back with ...