Covenant

photo source

The LORD had said to Abram, 

"Go from your country, your people and 

your father's household to the land I will show you.

"I will make you into a great nation, 

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you."

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him...

- Genesis 12:1-4a

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:
"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.
Is anything too hard for me?
Therefore this is what the Lord says:
...You are saying about this city,
'By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands
of the king of Babylon';
but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:
I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them
in my furious anger and great wrath;
I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.
They will be my people, and I will be their God.
I will give them singleness of heart and action,
so that they will always fear Me
and that all will them go well for them
and for their children after them.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them:
I will never stop doing good to them,
and I will inspire them to fear Me,
so that they will never turn away from me.
I will rejoice in doing them good
and will assuredly plant them in this land with all My heart and soul.

 - Jeremiah 32:26-28, 36-41

The month of October ends today.

Another opportunity for me to look back at what the Lord has been speaking.

Another opportunity to write down the events of the past weeks while they are still fresh in my memory.

And... another opportunity to give the month a name that will best sum up the lessons that I have learned during the 31 days of this month.

It has not really been that easy to put the events of the month into words.

One simple reason is that there have just been too many moments to write about. Broken down into minutes, the past thirty one days equal forty-four thousand six hundred forty minutes... and during each minute of this month, God was saying... or doing something of eternal impact in my life.

When I look at it that way, it just blows my mind away.

Writing entries in my blog in this season of my life is becoming harder than it used to be. In the early years, it was so much easier to grab the electronic pen and paper and start writing down my thoughts. These days, it requires more determination and discipline from me.

It's not that I no longer want to blog. On the contrary, I believe maintaining a personal web log is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

What hinders me is the sheer volume of things to share. Events have been happening so fast, and much as I want to write about them all, it is humanly impossible.

There are also new assignments that I sense God calling me to do, and time is needed to process what is going on in my heart.

Internal sifting always requires time.

However, I am aware that there are many important things to write about - personal insights seen from a kingdom perspective that I need to record and put into words.

photo source

So tonight I am giving priority to my blog and will no longer allow myself to be deterred. Instead, I will take some time to re-visit the events of the past forty-four thousand six hundred minutes or so... and out of these, choose which ones need to be put into writing that my end of month entry may be a mouthpiece for God to impact the lives of whoever will pass this way and hear what He is saying.

I take to heart the words of the prophet Habakkuk:

I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what He will say to me...

Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

so that a herald may run with it.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

it will certainly come

and will not delay.

- Habakkuk 2:1-3

In September, I had a full month. The message of that past month still rings loud and clear in my spiritual ears. "Hineni, here I am, Lord. Here I stand. Speak, for your servant hears and listens." 

This word "hineni" is a covenant word, and is the word spoken by Abraham in response to the Lord when he was asked to offer his son Isaac on Mount Moriah.

It was also the word spoken by Moses when God spoke to him from the burning bush.

And it is amazing that this word also contains part of the covenant name of God, "I Am."

In attending the Worship, Warfare, and Intercession Training Module conducted on September 1 by the Intercessors for the Philippines in Manila, I understood the new pattern of worship and intercession that the Holy Spirit is teaching us. I understood also the truth that God's eyes range throughout the earth, to show Himself mighty and strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

This month, the same message is reinforced. There is no more time for complacency, distraction, or dissipation... YET, these are the very things that the enemy throws across our paths to hinder God's people from truly understanding His end time moves.

We are entering a season of increased knowledge and understanding, but the temptation of intellectualism and spiritual pride, a "know-it-all" spirit, is also great.

Last month, I was able to participate in the celebration of the three fall feasts of the Lord, the appointed times that the Israelites were instructed to observe as holy convocations. There are seven feasts outlined in Leviticus 23, and when we pay attention to these feasts, we will have a greater understanding of the Lord's timetable for His plan of salvation and redemption for the world.

My time in Manila gave me a deeper desire to connect with the Hebrew foundations of my Christian faith.

After spending seven weeks in Manila, I returned to Bacolod on October 3. The Saturday after my arrival, I once again joined the Saturday morning dawn watch intercession time at the Negros Island House of Prayer (NIHOP).

At the end of our prayer time, I was able to share with the group what the Lord had placed on my heart regarding the feasts of the Lord. After a time of exhortation, the group agreed that we would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles at sundown of the following day, the last day of the said feast.

About sixty persons showed up for the celebration. We watched the video of Paul Wilbur's Jerusalem Arise. It was held ten years ago in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, but the anointing of that evening of worship and celebration was still strongly felt by all of us. There was a spirit of worship and rejoicing that filled the place.

At the end of the evening, Butch Yulo enjoined all of us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. My heart overflowed with gladness to be able to celebrate this feast with fellow intercessors in my home city of Bacolod.

In addition to the Saturday dawn watch, a weekday dawn watch was also conducted daily by Juan and Helen Coromina at the House of Prayer. We offered heartfelt prayer for our city, province, and island, specifically against the spirit of deception, falsehood, and concealment prevailing over our city because of the Masskara festival celebrated during the month of October.

I am certain it was not by accident but by divine appointment that the Youth Convergence sponsored by the NIHOP and the Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP) was held in this city yesterday and today.

As this month came to an end, this was the strong message from heaven for Bacolod City:

Worship, warfare and intercession are our God-given tools as we enter into the end times.

There is a strong prophetic anointing coming upon intercessors who are committed to stand as the watchmen on the wall, determined to give God no rest, until His praise is established in Jerusalem and throughout all the earth.

The youth are being called to a higher level of understanding the times and the seasons. The older men and women of our generation are called to be the bows that will mentor the youth, and release them as arrows that will not miss the mark but hit the target.

Warfare is indeed getting more and more intense. False agenda abound in the churches. God is looking for those whose hearts are loyal to Him that He might show Himself strong on their behalf.

The foundation of our victory in Christ is the Word of God. More than ever before, we are to devote more time to feeding on God's word - it is to be the foundation of our worship, our warfare, and our intercession!

Rightly has our heavenly Father said that man will not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

God is raising in this hour the sleeping church, distracted, led astray by all kinds of erroneous teaching, propaganda, and most destructive of all, the false god of self-fulfillment.

We went down on our knees for the Body of Christ in our city and our nation that is divided by denominational, doctrinal, and relational walls.

We cried out to God to raise the church as the warrior bride, the ezer bride.\

In Genesis 2, God created a helper suitable for Adam, an "ezer", a military term that means an assistant or a deputy commander, one equally capable of performing any task God assigns to Adam. We prayed that God in these days will equip the church to really be an overcomer bride, the one deputized to execute God's will on earth for these end times.

The Warrior Bride

by Todd Thomas

Preparing the Warrior Bride of Christ, by Robert Misst

We called out to heaven to release to all of us the key of David... intimacy and worship.

There is a call to intimacy with God, holiness and purity - that God's end time army be men and women after God's heart, a prophetic company operating in David's three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king.

As this month comes to an end, I sense God's clear message to me - He is a my covenant God.

He keeps His covenant, and we are called to be people of faith who will not be offended, or judge with human judgment... but rather to judge with righteous judgment.

To be able to discern the times and the seasons of God, that we will not grow weary in the waiting, we are called to be men and women of humility, who will fix our eyes on Jesus, and not on our own perspectives of what is happening around us.

Personally I have grown tired of listening to godless talk and chatter around me from people who always think they alone know what is right or what is best. I am careful not to be offended by such people, but truly I am blessed and encouraged by the heart of my friends in the NIHOP - Lyndon and Ann, Butch and Mylene, and Patrick and Rita, Juan and Helen. I have sensed their willingness to be used by God as the leaders of the prayer movement for our city and island in this season.

I know that my own part in this movement started fifteen years ago, and God has moved me to sow seeds of intercession in my own prayer closet and with a group of willing friends like Trudi, Buddy, Melanie, Jun-jun, Emily, and Ely. In this season, God has not called me to lead, but to be a willing worker behind the scenes, a supporter, a warrior.

We are doing all we can to soften the ground for the unity movement, opening our hearts, embracing those of other denominations that there will be only one lampstand representing the united body of Christ in our city.

The speakers at the convergence, Nona Londonio, Joel Bataclan, Pastor Obet and his team of anointed worshipers, Edith Mendoza... all of them modeled for us true humility and servanthood. Even as I write these words, I can't help but let the tears fall.

Edith spoke of the holy interruptions in our daily routines, times when heaven breaks through our wall of pride, and we are called to respond in humble worship before the King.

God is calling out the bride. Are we ready to pay the price?

What is it that the enemy is setting up before us as a hindrance, a road block to the outpouring of His glory and anointing for the difficult days ahead?

The word from the prophets is consistent - we are all entering a season of martyrdom. It sounds scary... but really we are being forewarned that we may be prepared.

I know it is not easy to prepare, for the downward pull of our earthly concerns is strong. The enemy would have us distracted, even by the high positions of pride that many so called Christians sit on. High positions of self-righteousness... which make us think we are better than many others, but which brings so much grief to God's heart.

We are being called to choose this very day to be shaped, molded, prepared to be a warrior bride, passionate for her King alone.

God has promised to restore the tabernacle of David, because it was this tabernacle that ushered in true worship. David removed the partitions and the Holy of Holies was open for all to see - a pattern of heavenly worship.

As this month ends, I hold on to the covenant that God made with His people:

They will be my people, and I will be their God.

I will give them singleness of heart and action,

so that they will always fear Me

and that all will them go well for them 

and for their children after them.

I will make an everlasting covenant with them:

I will never stop doing good to them,

and I will inspire them to fear Me,

so that they will never turn away from me.

I name this month "Covenant."

And to my dying breath, let this be my song.


I Will Bow to You
by Bob Fitts

Lord I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
Lord I will worship You
Nothing hands have made
But You alone

I will lay down my idols
Thrones I have made
All that has taken my heart
Lord I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone

Forerunner

"Way of Holiness"

photo source

A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray.

- Isaiah 35:8

My grandson Forerunner turns four years old today.

Four years ago today this precious boy was born.

The first born son of my first born son, he has a special place in my heart.

Each time his birthday comes around, I remember the circumstances of his birth.

It was the year 2008. Three weeks before Forerunner was born, Ernie and I arrived back in our country, after living in Chiang Mai, Thailand for one year.

Twelve months was not really such a long time to be away; yet when we returned, there were many changes awaiting us. First Born son had gotten married earlier that year, and we had a brand new daughter in law living with us. And she was expecting to give birth within a few weeks.



It was a time of adjusting to the changes, and at the same time, picking up from where we had left off a year ago.

Our old bedroom was destroyed by termites while we were gone, so whatever could be saved was stored in plastic crates piled up in our dining area, while the room was being renovated.

In the meantime, Ernie and I began using our guest room in the house next door.

We also had to remove Obedient One's things from her bedroom  so her room could be given to the new baby. Again her things were stored in plastic crates.

Our suitcases and unopened boxes of our accumulated stuff during our stay in Thailand were also in another part of the house.

I needed time to assess and evaluate and set my priorities. Sort out the clutter. There were so many voices calling out to me, things demanding to be attended to.

At the same time, we were re-entering family life where each of us had our own share of experiences; and things were definitely no longer the same.

I didn't know where to begin.

So many things had to be put on hold, set aside, kept in storage (and I don't mean this in just a literal sense), and I focused on the more important business of looking after the needs of First Born and his wife, who were about to become first-time parents. We welcomed God given into our hearts, and wanted her to know we valued her, and make her feel the love of our family.

& & & & &

The night before Forerunner was born, I was with God given  in the labor room of Riverside Hospital, coaching her in the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. I have great admiration for my daughter in law. She is a brave, and highly capable young woman. After eleven hours of painful labor, her doctor decided to have the baby delivered by C-section.

Less than an hour later, at around 5 a.m., Matthew Miguel, whom I have named Forerunner, was born (read my blog post about it - Unto Us a Son is Born).

My first grandson, only a few hours old, four years ago

His grandfather was outside the nursery viewing window, beaming with pride over Forerunner.

Ernie's cellphone was full of many pictures taken of our first grandson during those first few hours of his life.

A month after Forerunner was born, Ernie was unexpectedly called home to heaven.

For this reason, Forerunner's birthday will always have a special place in my memories.

I write this post with tears in my eyes...

Eyes wet with tears of remembering, yet glistening with hope and joy.

No one but my heavenly Father knows the love that I feel in my heart for you, dear Forerunner.

You came into my life at a time of transition and change.

How I long to keep you close to my heart, to nurture you, to teach you deep spiritual truths... but of course, I can only do so much.

But my family is a major theme in my daily intercession before God's throne of grace.

You are always in my prayers dear Forerunner.

I ask God to make you a young man who will be as a John the Baptist and an Elijah. 

John was a forerunner for the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.

Elijah was a forerunner for the outpouring of God's glory.

Today, there is an Elijah generation that is being prepared for the coming of the King of Kings.

This Elijah generation is the forerunner generation that will prepare the way for the day of the Lord.

Rise up, dear grandson, to your calling. Live up to your name.

Prepare a highway for our Lord! 

Come with brokenness and tears! 

Be part of a generation that will fear His name!

I decree and declare that you will be part of the end-time prophetic generation who will set themselves apart for God's kingdom purposes, and determine in their hearts not to be defiled by this world.

Today, on your fourth birthday, Forerunner, I want you to know that I love you dearly... and continue to believe in God's promises for my generations. 

Love,
Nana

celebrating Forerunner's 4th birthday with the whole family

Here is my song for Forerunner on his fourth birthday. This is one of my top favorites!


Glorious
by Christ for the Nations

Let's build a  highway for the King
Let's make His praise beautiful
Let's build a highway for the King
Let's make His praise glorious

With brokenness we come oh Lord
A generation to seek Your face
Preparing the way
For the king to come

Let's build a highway for the king
Let's make His praise beautiful
Let's build a highway for the King
Let's make His praise glorious

With repentance we come oh Lord
A generation to fear Your name
Preparing the way
For the King to come


Come and make our praise
Glorious

Make our praise

Glorious...

To You our only King

All the nations sing

And tell of Your great love

Lifted high upon our praise

Our voices raise

To make your praise

So glorious...

Every crooked way will be made straight
Every crooked way will be made straight

Every valley lifted up

Every mountain brought low

For the King to come...

You are holy...

Make us holy...

Let our praise be true...

"Hineni": Here I Stand

Here I am, Lord.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

"Whom shall I send,

And who will go for Us?"

Then I said, "Here I am! Send me!"

- Isaiah 6:8

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house

the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked,

that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth

like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the LORD shall be 

your rear guard,

Then you shall call

and the LORD will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say,

"Here I am."

- Isaiah 58:6-9

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro

throughout the whole earth

to show Himself strong in behalf of those

who heart is loyal to Him.

- 2 Chronicles 16:9

And He changes the times and the seasons;

He deposes kings and raises up others;

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

He removes kings and raises up kings;

He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what lies in darkness,

and light dwells with Him.

- Daniel 2:21-22

There's a stirring in the atmosphere. I can sense it in my spirit. 

There's a shift taking place, but it is something that I can't clearly define or explain.

It has been said that a new spiritual season is marked by a new sound, a new song. 

There is a restlessness deep inside, a knowing that things are not what they seem to be. 

There is a deep hunger, some kind of a holy discontent. In my heart burns a desire for something more. 

I long to reach beyond, to move up higher, to go deeper.

Yes, I can discern a different kind of sound coming from the spirit realm; I hunger and thirst to be in touch with heavenly melodies.

& & & & &

During my visit to Manila last June, my friend Priscilla invited me to join a systematic study of the Bible under the Community Bible Study International (CBSI), a group that she has been involved with for the past three years. Every Wednesday morning, about a hundred women gather at a designated venue for an in-depth study of God's Word. 

God does operate in our lives according to seasons. Priscilla had already talked to me about this a year ago, but at that time when she first brought it up, my schedule did not have room for it. This time however, an interest was sparked in my heart after she mentioned it to me again. I met with Tina, the CBSI national director, who gave me a deeper understanding about the program. The Bible is their textbook, and the curriculum is divided into modules of six weekly lessons per module. 

I wanted to give it a try. This meant having to stay in Manila for six weeks to enable me to complete one module of six classes. Upon returning to Bacolod by the end of June, I checked my schedule and realized that a seven-week window of opportunity was available for me to sign up for the course.  A sense of excitement filled my heart for this new door that was opening, for these past months I had desired to go into a structured inductive study of Scriptures. Indeed, I felt God's favor with every step I took. 

After six fruitful weeks in my home city of Bacolod, I returned to Manila on August 17, in time for the weekly classes which were to run from August 22 to September 26. 

Aside from attending the CBSI classes every Wednesday morning, and devoting some time to studying the assigned Bible passages, there was really no other agenda for me. I welcomed the unstructured time on my hands and prayed that the Father would help me make wise use of it. My return flight, booked for October 1, was still a long way off. I looked forward to my extended stay in this city, eager to find out what new things my heavenly Father had in store for me.

My heart was aware of the new season for our nation. At the Negros Island House of Prayer, we had been regularly praying fervently for our nation, and the nation of Israel. A group of us had also been taking intercession seriously, and we prayed, as much as possible, according to the eight watches of the day. 

On September 1st, I attended the Worship, Warfare, and Intercession Training Module conducted by the Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP). 

It was an amazing time, and words are not enough to describe what took place. We spent the whole day in non-stop worship, intercession, warfare, and exhortation from the Word. The worship leaders were flowing in the anointing. We were asked to remove our shoes for truly, the ground on which we stood was holy. The presence of the Lord was real. He is raising up an end-time company of prophetic worshipers and intercessors. We went down on our knees in repentance, not only for our personal sins but also for the sins of our nation - corruption, idolatry, greed, pride, immorality, violence, occultism ... and many other sins that have grieved the heart of a holy God.

During worship I received God's word for me in this season, found in 2 Chronicles 16:9 -

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro

throughout the whole earth

to show Himself strong in behalf of those

who heart is loyal to Him.

The Father is looking for loyal, steadfast, committed hearts. People whose ears are inclined to Him. People whose hearts are ready to do as He says. Without hesitation. Without reluctance. People who are determined to go all the way, no turning back. No shrinking back. People who are willing to move out of their secure environments and places of comfort. Because He stands ready to show Himself mighty and strong and committed in their behalf. He wants people who will stand as watchmen on the wall, waiting... watching... obeying.

Those words gripped my heart and caused me to look inside my own heart. I didn't want any more religious language... mere talk. I've said that so many times before. I wanted my heart to break for the things that break His heart... to be consumed with the things that consume His heart. I didn't want any unholy mixtures. The past months, I have lived with a sense of not living up to my faith... of not walking my talk... of not praying enough... I repented of complacency, inconsistency, and hypocrisy.

God was inviting me to go deeper... 

That morning I asked God to forgive me, and to put His seal of approval on me.

"Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm," I prayed. I know God takes my words seriously... committing to be a worshiper and an intercessor for His kingdom is serious business.

I felt God's affirmation that morning. "You are loved, you are valued. I believe in you."

His words silenced the accusing voices of the enemy. 

Indeed, many are called... but few are chosen. 

God gives the invitation to all, but not all heed the call. That is why Jesus keeps saying these words to the churches - "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

And to him who overcomes and remains steadfast to the end... there are promises in store.

& & & & &

That training module I attended on the very first day of the September set the tone for the rest of the month and brought confirmation that I was in Manila for another reason, not only for the Bible classes I had enrolled in. It became clear that God had another purpose for my being in that place at that time.

I was in this place for such a time as this, because if I had not come here, I would not have experienced the things God had prepared for me to experience.

Oh, yes... that really made so much sense. In the early years as of my born again Christian experience, I struggled against being too cerebral. What God wanted was clear to me - He wanted heart transformation, passion, dedication.

I really want to love God more... but there have been times when I felt that it is still too much of an intellectual response for me.

For me to already be dancing in worship, raising my arms, and actually kneeling and bowing before Him... this is such an awesome breakthrough for me. But I want more.

And all throughout the month of September this is what God had been doing in my life.

Cracking up the walls, softening the callous hardened places with His holy oil, chiseling off the rough edges...

That first day of worship, warfare, and intercession opened up for me opportunities to participate in the worship celebration of the fall feasts, the only three remaining feasts of the Lord that are awaiting their fulfillment.

Some prophets sent by the Lord to minister to our nation received a clear instruction from God that He wants us to celebrate His feasts. This act of obedience is part of the conditions for the release of jubilee blessings for our beloved country.

Celebrating the feasts is really a prophetic act. Celebrating the first three feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) helps us remember the work of redemption of our Lord Jesus on the cross, His burial, and resurrection. (Passover - The Seven Feasts of Israel and Jesus)

Pentecost is the fulfillment of the fourth feast, the Feast of Weeks. Celebrating this feast helps us remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church.

It is amazing that each of these four redemptive events took place on the exact day of the feast.  We celebrate the three remaining fall feasts as a rehearsal for the second coming of Christ, looking forward to the sure fulfillment of these feasts in the near future. 

Celebrating these feasts is a way of being connected to the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith. 

There is so much to share about what God did in my heart when I participated in the celebration of these feasts. Another post needs to be written for this.

What a privilege it was! I can never thank the Lord enough for what He has done for me - bringing me to Manila in this season just so I could receive a first hand experience and deeper understanding of what His feasts are all about!

We celebrated Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets) on September 17, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on September 27, and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) on October 1.

Another significant thing that took place in the month of September was my observance of the Sabbath for the very first time. At sundown of Friday, September 21, I began my very first Sabbath, observed in the way I believe God wanted it done.

We may have our own personal points of view, or personal conviction, about keeping the Sabbath. But I took time to study the passages relating to the Sabbath in the Bible, and with a heart that was open to obeying what God says about it, I went ahead to observe it for the first time. I set aside what I thought the Sabbath meant, and I put aside what is convenient for me in the observance of this day. 

All I said to God was, "Yes, Lord... I will do it Your way."  

Of course, I couldn't be true to it all the way, as in not doing any kind of work on this day. Many orthodox Jews have lamps with electronic timers so they won't have to turn the lights on and off themselves, or prepare pre-folded tissue papers to avoid exerting effort in tearing off tissue papers for personal use in the restroom. 

What I understand is that because Jesus has already done the finished work of salvation on the cross, I was no longer under the law, but under grace. But, I wanted to observe the Sabbath as a day that God blessed, a wonderful provision for us to rest, and be re-fueled, re-oiled, renewed, refreshed.

It was truly a meaningful experience. (Read about it here: My Sabbath: Dethroning Unforgiveness)

At sundown of September 26, we began our worship celebration of Yom Kippur, together with a thousand other intercessors affiliated with the Intercessors for the Philippines. Also called the Day of Atonement, this feast was the culmination of the Days of Awe which began on Rosh HaShanah ten days earlier.

It was a faith-filled night, my very first time to fully absorb the meaning of Christ shedding His blood on the cross to atone for my sins. As the worship went on I was down on my knees on the floor, sobbing. I really could not stop crying. It was such a healing moment for me.

I know God is doing something new in this season, in my life, in my nation, and in the nation of Israel as well.

I felt it was important for me to participate in all the fall feasts, so instead of returning to Bacolod on October 1, I purchased another plane ticket for October 3. It was a decision I did not regret making. During the Feast of Tabernacles, there was such an outpouring and anointing of joy in our midst!

It has been my practice to write an end of the month blog post, summarizing what the Lord has been teaching me for the past four weeks of the month, but this time I felt I had to wait until the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles was over. Then I could write about the past month, in reference to the three fall feasts, and choose an appropriate name for it.

Today, October 8, the Feast of Tabernacles ended at sundown.

I look back to the awesome month of September and all that God has allowed to take place in my life.

A beautiful experience of receiving spiritual manna, the fresh word of God, studied together every Wednesday for six weeks, with a group of beautiful women, hungry for His living bread.

A worship warfare and intercession training module that opened my eyes to the pattern of  heavenly worship, and an invitation to let God take me to a higher dimension...

Celebrating the three fall feasts with fellow intercessors, bowing at His feet in repentance and worship, and rejoicing at His glorious provision of all our needs...

My words will never do justice to the kind of experience I had these past weeks, but that will not hinder me from sharing about it the best way I can.

Also, in giving the month of September a significant name, I pray God will use this word, and breathe life to anyone who receives it in faith.

Hineni.

It is a Hebrew word that is translated in English as "Here I am."

In the Bible God has issued several "double calls" - Moses, Moses... Abraham, Abraham... Jacob, Jacob...  and several others.

In each case, the response of the person being called was, "Hineni." Here I am.

It is really a response coming from a position of humility, and weakness.

A deeper meaning of this word is, "Here I stand."

Ready to do Your word. Ready to obey Your command. 

Here I stand. At Your service, Lord. 

It was the same word that Isaiah used in response to God when God asked him, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"

"Hineni. Send me."

"It is a covenant response." 

A response that says to God, "Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening."

Paul Wilbur puts it so beautifully:

Hineni. It's a covenant response. We read it in our English Bibles as "Here I am." But it's so much more than that. It's the response of Abraham when He said, "Take your son and offer him." It was the response of Isaac climbing the mountain, with the wood on his back. "Here I am." It means more than just "What do you want?" No, it means, "You have my full attention. I resist all distractions. And everything that is me is now available to You. You speak the word, hineni." And because this is a covenant, at that response He says in Isaiah 58, "Since you respond to Me in this way, your light will go forth like the dawn, and in a time of trouble you will call to Me, and I, Jehovah, will say to you, hineni. Here I am." (Paul Wilbur at Rosh Hashana 5772) 

This is my name for September 2012, but it is also my name for the new season that I am entering. 

Hineni.

When you hear God calling you, it means He is calling you to come up to a higher dimension. Respond and say to Him, "Hineni. Here I am."

Show Me Your Face

Paul Wilbur

Moses stood on the mountain
Waiting for You to pass by 
You put Your hand over his face 
So in Your presence he wouldn’t die 
All of Israel saw the glory 
And it shines down through the age 
Now You’ve called me to boldly seek Your face 

David knew there was something more 
Than the ark of Your presence 
And in a manger a baby was born 
Among kings and peasants 
All of Israel saw the glory 
And it shines down through the age 
And now You call us to boldly seek Your face 

Show me Your face, Lord 
Show me Your face 
Then gird up my legs that I might stand in this holy place 
Show me Your face, Lord 
Your power and grace 
I could make it to the end if I can just see Your face 
Yes we can make it to the end if we can just see Your face.

Feast of Tabernacles: A Drink Offering

Feast of Tabernacles pastel painting

by Valerie R. Jackson

The Feast of Tabernacles this year officially begins at sundown on September 30, and ends at sundown on October 8.

Celebrate this feast with all your heart for eight days, and when the season of the fall feasts is concluded, offer the Lord the drink offering He has requested, in the prophetic word given to Jill Shannon.

As Jill was writing her book A Prophetic Calendar:The Feasts of Israel, she asked the Lord to insert His word about this feast, and this is what she received:

The Lord's Heart for a Drink Offering

 I see drops of water, drops of rain, drops of tears, falling from heavenly clouds. I see tears of God watering the earth, falling into rivulets and gullies, forming streams and leading down into rivers, forming flowing rivers in dry riverbeds, and flowing down into a mighty ocean, the drink offering of tears, the tears of My people, the tears of God, the tears of Messiah, the tears of those who thirst for justice but do not find it, the tears of those who weep for the victims of lawlessness, but find no comfort on this earth.

I AM the Lord, and I AM looking for My drink offering to fall from the skies, fall from the eyes, the eyes of men and angels, the eyes of women and children, the eyes of the wealthy and successful, the eyes of the complacent and the satisfied, the eyes of the laborers who float through each work day in a trance-like stupor, sleepwalking and unfeeling, completing their daily assignments like robot-slaves.

I AM looking for passion, for tears, for shouts, for extravagant rivers of water to be poured out and wasted before Me. Waste your sleep! Waste your meals! Waste your spare time on Me. Waste your night hours in silent meditation upon My heart. Waste your tears on My crucifixion, and on what My love for you cost Me!

I want a drink offering. I do not desire the blood of your children! Stop shedding the blood of my children and start shedding tears of pity and repentance. These will be poured out at the basin of My holy altar in Heaven; these will run down over the souls of the martyrs, who cry out under My altar, who themselves were poured out as drink offerings before Me as they were killed for My testimony.

I see raindrops falling from Heaven, autumn rains, needful rains, the rains of crop growth, the rains of fertility, the rains of restoration, renewal, and revival of the earth and its inhabitants.

Let all the nations come and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with My people Israel! Let them wave their branches to Me and shout with loud voices My praise. Let them celebrate with all their might and provoke My people to envy and desire, that they might desire Me and crave My face. Then will I open the windows of Heaven, and the river of water and fire from My throne will both water the earth and burn jealously all the pride and greed of men, even My Church.

I will send down fire on your sacrifice as you water it with your tears, as Elijah soaked his sacrifice before I came and consumed it with fire. I will consume your offerings as I consumed Solomon's offering, if you will mingle your tears with Mine, the very tears of God.

This is My drink offering, and this is My heart for the Feast of Tabernacles....