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| Eternity |
For thus, says the LORD of hosts:
"Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heavens and earth,
the sea and dry land;
and I will shake all nations,
and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations,
and I will fill this temple with glory,"
says the LORD of hosts.
"The silver is Mine,
and the gold is Mine,"
says the LORD of hosts.
"The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,"
says the LORD of hosts.
"And in this place I will give peace,"
says the LORD of hosts.
- Haggai 2:6-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,"
says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
- Isaiah 55:8, 9
In just a few more days, I will be returning to my home in Bacolod City.
Over the recent years, the word "home" has become such an illusive concept for me - for deep in my heart of hearts, I know that my heart's true home is not anywhere on this earth.
Heaven is my heart's true home.
For now, however, Bacolod City is my earthly home, because that is where Ernie and I built our home, living together as husband and wife together for thirty years, and it is also where we raised our three wonderful children. Two of our three children still live in this city.
Manila is home to me as well, because this is the city where I was born, and where I was brought up by loving parents. And now, for the past six years, our youngest child, our only daughter, has lived in this city... so each time I visit Obedient One, I am also coming "home."
God has been speaking more and more to me about the heavenly home that He has prepared, not only for me, but for all of those who have chosen Him as their God, and believed in Him as their Heavenly Father.
When I turned my life over to God as my LORD and Savior in December of 1973 - about forty years ago - He planted a deep desire in my heart to know Him... the way He wanted to be known.
A line written by A.W. Tozer became one of the motivating factors that fueled my desire to really get close to the LORD. In one of his books, Tozer wrote these words:
A line written by A.W. Tozer became one of the motivating factors that fueled my desire to really get close to the LORD. In one of his books, Tozer wrote these words:
You are as holy as you want to be.
That sentence opened up a well of insights after I went before God, asking Him what those words meant. Over the weeks, months and years of my life as a young believer, God revealed some important answers to me.
I could become as holy as I wanted to be - the choice was mine. I could draw as close as I could to His heart - the choice was up to me.
If I called to Him, He would hear me.
Only one step taken in His direction would send Him running, with arms wide open, toward me.
If I had a question to ask Him, He would answer me. The answers would not always come immediately, nor would they come in the way I expect them to... but the promise is that He would answer.
If I opened my mouth, He would feed me.
If I sought the truth, and asked for wisdom, guidance, and direction, He would give them to me.
If I sought the truth, and asked for wisdom, guidance, and direction, He would give them to me.
If I trusted Him and obeyed Him... He would entrust me with more faith.
And so on...
The obedience was going to be rewarded, not as a result of my "good works" or human effort, but because my obedience was not only an action, a response to His invitation... it was actually more a platform from where I lived out my choices.
Obedience was both a response and a place on which to stand.
So many things the Lord spoke to me about becoming as holy as I wanted to be... but it was not as easy as these words make it sound. Many of these spiritual truths were learned the hard way.
Through many rivers, mountains, valleys... much pain, sorrow, joy, and delights, God drew me closer to His heart.
If there were wrong things I came to believe, lies, faulty mindsets... sooner or later God would reveal to me that I was in error. Over time, I came to recognize His nudges, or an inner check in my spirit, that still small voice telling me, "Don't go there, My child. There is danger there. You will be harmed."
There would be a clarification from Scripture, from a book I was reading, or from a timely message by a preacher, or a Bible study teacher.
God has been faithful to protect those who are His. On this rest my confidence and my security.
Because I love Him, I asked Him years ago to help me pursue whatever it is that He wants for me, and also, to help me stay away from whatever does not please Him and does not give Him glory.
Definitely it has not been a bed of roses. There have been struggles and dead ends, and I have taken many a wrong turn along the way.
But I say it again, God has been faithful. Very faithful.
One of the verses that have continued to strengthen my faith walk is found in 2 Timothy 1:12 --
I know whom I have believed,
and am convinced that he is able
to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
On this blog I have shared my faith walk and my spiritual journey, primarily to give honor to God who is the real Author of my life story, and secondly, to serve as my personal chronicles.
But it is also meant to be an encouragement to any reader who "lands" on these pages.
But it is also meant to be an encouragement to any reader who "lands" on these pages.
It has never been my intention to promote a theology, or a doctrine. No reader is ever forced to believe what I have come to believe, but I will always be committed to being a voice of truth and a beacon of hope in the midst of the darkness around us. Far be it from this blog to lead anyone astray.
Understandably, there are those who will read my words and disagree or misunderstand, that is a given. But because it is my choice to bare my thoughts on this medium, I therefore take no issue with that.
But it must be emphasized that this blog will also never become a forum for debate - to prove others wrong or prove me right, or vice versa... because as I have mentioned, this blog is a record of the unfolding story of my life... an honest sharing of where I have been, and where I am now.
My God is continually bringing me to new levels of faith.
My God is continually bringing me to new levels of faith.
These days, there seems to be a lot of shaking going on.
God is shaking everything that can be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken will remain; that what is false will be exposed and removed, and only what is true will remain.
God is shaking everything that can be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken will remain; that what is false will be exposed and removed, and only what is true will remain.
Thus, there is the shaking of our foundations that the faulty structures on which we have built our faith will be dismantled, and new ones put up in their place.
The same reason holds true for the earthquakes the whole world has been experiencing, even the shaking of the family unit, and Wall Street and the world's financial centers - God is removing what will not stand the test of eternity.
He is going to build a new heaven and a new earth, and anything that does not meet His standards is being taken out of the way.
He is going to build a new heaven and a new earth, and anything that does not meet His standards is being taken out of the way.
I find this to be true even in my spiritual life and personal doctrinal stand. Over the years, my faith has been shaken a few times. I have had to discard some cherished "truths" after finding out that I had been wrong. Intellectual honesty requires that I keep my heart and mind open to receive deeper truths as I mature in my understanding.
God has also brought me to the place where some denominational labels I had attached to certain beliefs had to be peeled off.
I thought "holy laughter" was from the devil, until I experienced it myself, and in such an unlikely setting as an airplane that was about to take off, just because I was worshiping God, and asking Him to fill my heart with more love for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Years ago I never knew what a song in the night was, until one night in the early 1990s I heard a song in my heart. And when I described it to my pastor, he carefully and gently told me that it was the Holy Spirit singing a song of comfort to my hurting heart.
I never believed in speaking in tongues, until about two decades ago when I asked the Holy Spirit for a prayer language. Today, praying in this language has proven to be of tremendous value to my spiritual life.
Many such things God has done for me, when I least expected them, when I was not looking for them, when I was not seeking for a sign.
And I have found out through the years the amazing truth that God is a God of the surprise visits!
Yes, I have discovered feathers a few times, and through them, the Father has spoken a word of confirmation to me for the new season I was entering.
In my last post, I briefly mentioned about the gold dust that was showered on the floor after my friends went through a time of intense warfare, worship, and intercession. I was out of the country on a ministry trip when it happened - but a friend showed me the envelop where she had kept some of the dust. They were not asking for it, they were lost in worship, and the feeling of everyone there when that happened was that God was making His presence manifest.
In early March, my friends and I attended the Gazing Into Glory conference in Subic. In that conference, we had three days of worship, and intercession, as well as listening to various speakers, who I felt were all anointed and gifted in the area of teaching they were giving.
After one worship time, we were surprised to find gemstone crystals all over the carpet. Again, we did not ask for it, nor were we even expecting it to happen, but there they were! Our feeling when that happened was not to question if it was from the enemy, or if it had a Biblical support... instead, what we felt was a deep sense of knowing God was in our midst.
Ruth Filler, one of the speakers that afternoon, mentioned that she knew someone who had literally been up to heaven, and when he came back, he said that he saw gemstones sparkling in the river banks of heaven.
She then admonished us not to focus on the gemstones per se, but rather to seek the God who has given the gemstones as a sign of His favor. Ruth also said that these gemstones are a form of betrothal gifts from God.
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness... seek His heart, seek the essential things, and these things will be given as a by-product, a bonus, of our seeking. Keep your eyes on the Giver, not the gift. Worship the God of the experience, rather than the experience.
The humble way in which she said these things, without a hint of pride or arrogance, was such a lovely encouragement to all who were listening.
God is God alone, and He can be gracious to whoever He wants to be gracious.
I know God fearing people who have seen angels with their own eyes. Does that make them un-spiritual? I don't think so.
If Satan wants to produce counterfeits of what God can do, I think that's not the point here. I believe God is rising up in these last days, showing Himself mighty and strong, a God of miracles, a God of signs and wonders. There will be counterfeits because the enemy is jealous and seeks to lead many astray.
And yes indeed, the deceiver is standing close by. We are not to believe that all angelic visitations and supernatural manifestations are from God. We are taught in Scriptures to test every spirit, the greatest test being that Jesus Christ remains central, and God alone is worshiped and given the glory.
There have been spiritual abuses throughout the ages. But I don't think it's wise to throw out the baby with the bath water. I will hold on to what is true. I will let God encourage me, give Him freedom to shake my belief system... and allow Him to reveal to me things beyond my scope of experience or understanding.
Alma McClure says it beautifully:
"We know that the Lord has vast areas of truth to unfold before us. We want to be open and receptive to all that is OF HIM. His Word is a treasure house, or a deep mine of jewels, and we rejoice to find continually, deeper depths of precious truth. But we want to be sure that it is PURE truth that we are receiving, and BALANCED truth! (For truth out of balance becomes error.) The Lord is faithful to confirm or to expose, so we need not fear, IF WE KEEP OUR EYES ON HIM!"
I just feel so awed and humbled that God would choose to reveal such things to His people today.
Again, this is all part of my desire to be as holy as I want to be. To know Him as much as He can allow Himself to be known. To move up to the next level of my faith.
God is not a God of three dimensions as we know this world to be. God lives in the fourth dimension, the realm of the spirit... and that to me is mind boggling!
In the Old Testament, twelve gemstones decorated the royal ephod of the High Priest, to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. I understand that each of these stones stand for a name of God!
In Revelation 21, John speaks of the new Jerusalem
Given a vision of God's throne in heaven, John could only describe the glorious sight he beheld in these words:
- Revelation 4:3
In the Old Testament, twelve gemstones decorated the royal ephod of the High Priest, to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. I understand that each of these stones stand for a name of God!
In Revelation 21, John speaks of the new Jerusalem
"...descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.
Her light was like a most precious stone,
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal....
The construction of its wall was of jasper,
and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
The foundations of the wall of the city
were adorned with all kinds of precious stones..."
- Revelation 21: 10-11, 18-19
Given a vision of God's throne in heaven, John could only describe the glorious sight he beheld in these words:
And He who sat there was like a jasper
and a sardius stone in appearance.
and a sardius stone in appearance.
- Revelation 4:3
I think by sending the gold dust and the gemstones, God is choosing to give us a tiny glimpse of the glory of heaven, and to reveal Himself to us in a way our finite minds can comprehend.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says.
It fills my heart with such a sense of trembling, and awe. Yes, He is God alone, the truth of Who He is is not dependent on any of my limited human understanding or experience.
One of the things God has taught me is to remain humble and teachable, to be willing to unlearn what needs to be unlearned, to give room for the new things He wants to pour into my life.
My heart is to be as a new, supple, and expandable wineskin for the fresh wine of His truth!
He goes way beyond all of what I know of Him at the moment!
Because He is unfathomable, He is unsearchable!
Below is a link to the Gateway Church based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where John and Ruth Filler serve as core team members. In their church, God has been pleased to release gemstones and gold dust, sending an angel to bring these gemstones to earth, and so I won't say anything more about it here. There are YouTube accounts about the gemstones that members of this church have received, links posted below, for the benefit of anyone who is interested to hear the personal stories.
Gemologists have been consulted regarding these stones, and after scrutiny it has been determined that the stones are flawless, having no traces of carbon or air bubbles or other inclusions.
When things like these happen, to keep ourselves on the right track, our focus is to be on the God of the experience rather than the experience itself. Check them out, pray, and let God have the final say in the matter.
When things like these happen, to keep ourselves on the right track, our focus is to be on the God of the experience rather than the experience itself. Check them out, pray, and let God have the final say in the matter.
My own humble response in all this is that of worship.
You deserve the glory, my Lord.
Just let me say how much I love You!
The Gateway International Ministry Resource Center (Core Team)
Miraculous Stones in Idaho Church - 1
Miraculous Stones in Idaho Church - 2
You Deserve the Glory
(Lyrics by Aaron Keyes)
You deserve the glory
And the honour
Lord we lift our hands in worship
As we lift your holy name
For you are great, You do miracles so great
There is no one else like you, there is no one else like You
For you are great, You do miracles so great
There is no one else like you, there is no one else like You
For you are great, You do miracles so great
There is no one else like you, there is no one else like You
For you are great, You do miracles so great
There is no one else like you, there is no one else like You
Just Let Me Say
by Hillsong United
Just let me say how much I love You
Let me speak of Your mercy and grace
Just let me live in a shadow of Your beauty
Let me see You face to face
And the earth will shake as Your Word goes forth
And the heavens will tremble and fall
But let me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend
Just let me hear Your finest whispers
As You gently call my name
And let me see Your power and Your glory
Let me feel Your spirit's flame
Let me find You in the desert
Till this sand is holy ground
And I am found completely surrendered
To You my Lord and Friend
So let me say how much I love You
With all my heart I long for You
For I am caught in this passion of knowing
This endless love I've found in You
And the depth of grace, the forgiveness found
To be called a child of God
Just makes me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend (x2)
Just makes me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend
16 comments:
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.- Amos 9:9
This was my early morning nugget on this still dark Wed.morn. Your post brought me back to those days when I would pass by some rice fields, ripe with the treasured grain, being sifted against the puffs of the winds. What remained was the solid grain while the empty coverings were blown away.
In the prison, inmates hate "shakedowns" when the deputies go to targeted cells or inmates suspected to keep & even manufacture improvised weapons or other illegal things. If caught, those things are taken away & punishment for those acts are added to make the said inmates not to do such illegal acts again.
What comforts me as the Lord does His shakedown whether in a person's heart or among the people, it is always Him Who has the control. And how valuable even the tiniest grain that belongs to Him is...to His heart. How precious each found sheep is to the Shepherd!
It isthe people's own beliefs that differ that divides the church and makes the word "united in Christ" elusive. I believe it is important for a person not to quickly say 'This is from the Holy Spirit or not' because there are so many things from God that our finite minds will not be able to grasp. Even Paul reminds the church not to stifle the works of the Spirit. The Bible says that it is the Helper Who helps us understand the things of God.
I have to come back to view the video. I just wonder...if God made beautiful things down here what more for what He promised to believers in His eternal Kingdom? All the glory to our good Lord! Blessings to you sister.
Dear Lidia,
"They shall see and not see."
To those in denial no wonder is big enough, but these signs sure are left to strengthen those who believes.
Martha, princess of Norway, just left the country for awhile, because she was scorned and mocked by the medias, when telling about finding feathers. I'm not quite sure what her belief actually is about. I think she focus on God and his angels, and not on salvation through Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, she is searching, and her father, Harald, king of Norway says, we don't always understand Martha, but we see her earnestly and we support her.
Faith is convince about things that cannot be seen.
I'm so happy for you and the things revealed to you.
If I were a Catholic, I would say you were holy. Now I say you are chosen and blessed in wonderful ways.
Come to think about it, we are all holy through Jesus.
May the Lord hold his almighty hand over you now and always.
From felisol
Lidj, Your heart is open to receiving blessings..your faith is strong and perhaps a notch higher than most because of your continued closeness to the Lord...There is so much we do not know or can even imagine.
Lidj-
Most often, I come over here and read and come back again later so that I could concentrate, while I am at my office, work must come first. Once we get connections at home, I will have the luxury of taking in deeply blogs like yours.... I am thirsty for these things. And I thank God for the God appointed links from other blogs, that He ushers me to those I would learn from the most.
Just this early morning, joyously I awoke, because I still love the early hours to bask in His majesty. I often stumble in this because I had been a late night sleeper. So I needed to be intentional as to relinquish myself of those blocking my mountain meet ups with God.
I have given up the soaps to earlier slumber.... Thus, I am now back to the dawn walks.
It is always amazing because He once again led me to the fruit bearing trees in my soul.
I am both saddened and glad that HE keeps me drawing to these spots.... more so because it had been a long-term desire that I claimed.... to bear those fruits. I know deep inside that it is never ours to work out on, but all His. All we have to do is submit and find those milestones, even if you don't discern them immediately, others would.
He will lead you to those situations where you can be tested where you are the weakest. Sometimes, without us knowing, we may retaliate on the opposite direction, far from the goal... because more often we respond in the human default.
I so want too, to walk on the streets of gold, walk in and out the pearly gates and bask in the light that there will no longer nights or dark corners.
We will be shifted and shaken, banging us on all raw edges.... until the perfection comes.
I will never look at your blog as preaching, self-glorifying. So far from it. I knew your heart the very first step I tentatively took here from Diane's to your place then to Rossel's.
I consider those Divine appointments, because there are no accidents with God.
Alleluia!
I watched the video. I just pray that the Lord's Word will guide us, give us His gift of discernment and protect us. God bless you sister.
Gold dust and gemstones.... I can't imagine the experience!!
We are children of the King!
Love,
Your S-I-L Faith
Thank you for your comment on my blog. I read your post and watched the videos. I have heard Josh Mills and seen the gold dust and I have been in meetings with Jeff Jansen and others and saw a feather floating down. I was having extreme discomfort in my leg, so that I could hardly sit through the meeting and a young girl came over and told me that she saw an angel right behind me. I didn't see the angel, but I was instantly healed of the pain. The glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea! Hallelujah
Hello Lidia There is so much that you have written here that I don't know which to answer... It is very mind boggling about the gold dust and the gem..but nothing is impossible with God. When I was a little girl I used to lay out in the grass on our farm and cry for nothing. Later, much later in life I have realised that I cried because I didn't want to be on this earth, but back in Heaven, where I was before coming here.
I also speak in tongues, and often it just comes upon me when I am in the house or driving the car.
I also believe in people who have visited Heaven and come back to testify about it. There is so much in the spiritual realm that we don't understand. I am writing my second book now and its about a woman who grows up as an orphan knowing God and gets taken to Heaven, then comes back to share this at the right time.
Much love and God bless you. xxxx
Hi Lidia....I want the same as you...to shine His love...sometimes life hits hard...things don't make any sense...but still I'm going to trust b/c of what He has already done in my life. Nothing else matters anymore.
Hey...can I ask for your prayers..if you read my blog post...you'll understand.....I really want to do what He wants me to and not what I think or what someone tells me.
You are a kindred spirit and I love love love that we connected. To think of the distance between us and yet the same Spirit uniting us....very cool. :)
I'm in a sifting/shaping season, friend. Learn and unlearning things, concepts. God is using this lean season to be the time when he pours truth into my heart at a deeper level. It's been ugly at times (gut honesty before God usually is); I've shed a lot of tears and confessed a lot of words. We're working it through. God is tenderly loving me through it all.
Truly, I think we've only begun to scratch the surface of our understanding about God. In reading your heart here, I am reminded that the spiritual dimension far exceeds reasonable understanding. Oh for a taste of untainted glory ever now and again! I pray for it.
One day, we'll hear our "welcome home" and we'll know that, in fact, we've finally arrived. Until then, peace for the journey!
~elaine
Good morning my friend,
It's been a long time since I came over here. My blog page got reduced to nothing one day and I've lost many of the blogs I used to follow.
I love your words and your heart here. I remember Tozer being a good firend of my dad's, and his words have always struck a chord with me too. As our pastor used to put it... 'you have as much of God as you want'.
I am in the same place as many of your words express, seeking more and stepping forward in new ways. It's a season of change and for me, doing more of wht I know to do.
He never lets us rest where we are, and aren't we thankful that he doesn't!
Love you, have a great Sunday!
I read this post when you first published it but was on vacation at the time and couldn't respond with a comment. Nothing is impossible with God! I've never witnessed something like you described but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. God can reveal Himself in any way He chooses. I am so thankful that He chose me to belong to Him.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
If we can believe Gen 1.1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth", what can HE not do to reveal His nature, character and glory?
The heavens and the earth declare His glory. The focus is not what has been created, but WHO created it.
The gemstones, feathers and gold dust are like party favors and wedding trinkets that the LORD is sending out to herald the coming Marriage of the Lamb, the Son of God!
So everyone, make yourselves ready as a Bride prepared for the coming of the LORD JESUS! It's soon.
I am challenged by your personal accounts, not that they can't be true, but wanting to understand more and more of God. I do know God desires above all our worship, true worship in abandon. I don't doubt these things because our God is a gracious and jealous God. May God continue to pour out His love as His followers our out their love for Him.
Lidia.. this touched me so much.. and I have been praying for MORE of HIM!! I was in a church service in London recently where there were healings and feathers, so I know it's real.. I would love to find a gem one day.. :) but He is so good, signs and wonders or not. So good. I love this post so much. I hope you can share more of this.. Blessings!!!
How very interesting, Lidia! I hope to have time to watch the video later. At the risk of sounding a little mercenary, what did you DO with the gemstones?
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