WE NEVER KNEW HIM !

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I have been going through some physical trials of late and as it is with any of these painful episodes, I always find a moment to reflect on what it would be like to go through such pain for all eternity; time without end. I used to erroneously believe that my God and my Father would allow such torment for some of His misbehaving children in the name of holiness and justice. This was the God I was taught, since I was youngster in the organized church. Then one day decades ago I heard of a different Father God who gave His only begotten Son as the Saviour of all men and of all creation. My heart truly sang with this good news! I also cried, "This is a God of love and these preachers and so called Christians have not yet met this wonderful Father God and His beloved Son. Instead, with the help of the traditions of men and the corruption of the carnal mind these church goers have formed a beast of a God, who would allow His children to suffer horrendous pain for ever and ever in a (fictional) place called "hell." What a wonder to escape such a perverted and painful belief system. I am truly thankful everyday, while still saddened to know so many are still caught in the throes of this terrible and fearful charade they call "Christianity."

My prayer and my cry tonight, is for those I love to come out of the foul institutions, wrongfully called churches and find the One True God who proclaims, "99 is not enough" as He goes to seek out and gather the last one. What a wonderful thing to know my Jesus will not lose even one. For His great love will seek out, break and melt the hardest and most contrary of hearts. Oh yes! God's love is truly that great and the blood of His Precious Son washes clean the souls of men on both sides of the grave.

Tonight I was blessed to share with two sisters in the Lord the wonders of resting in the love of such a God. Both have found their way out the gates of the organized church and today they dwell peaceably with their families afar from the religious crowd. Like so many others today, these two dear sisters met the True Father and His Son outside the gate and afar from the camp (Heb 12:12-14) . Today they are free to love as the Father loves, without condition and by the Spirit. They have found rest in a God, so incredibly good and so very loving.

Tonight I dedicate this beautiful prophetic message to the Christ, who lives and loves within and through my two sisters. This beautiful short writing by Elaine Cook was written by the same heart as I have found in Christie and Joian. Oh, that God should give me more sisters that love like these!


We Never Knew Him!

Recently, we heard just one line of a song which grabbed our attention. It was: "Would you expect to find God in a manger?" (Showing His condescension to mankind). We added to that thought; "Why would we think God would inhabit a vessel of clay that His glory might be seen?"
Elisabeth added, "Who would expect to find God on a cross? Would you expect to find God nailed to a tree?"

We stayed quiet before the Lord and He spoke to us: "This is the one thing that the enemy can never duplicate, for the darkness in him cannot permit him to humble himself in any way. By this you may discern the Spirit of God from the Spirit of Anti-Christ."

In recent small happenings in my life I have begun to realize, that though I‘ve walked with the Lord for many years, and known that He is Love, I have not really understood or known the heart of love that He has. These may be small incidents that I will share, but they illustrate the big heart of our Father that we have never fully grasped.

Every Thursday Elisabeth and I drive for a half an hour to visit our post office in Idaho to pick up and send out our U.S. mail. Today Elisabeth suggested that she would like to stop at the Duty-Free Shop to look for some souvenirs to take back home to Scotland. I was casually looking around while waiting for her. I found myself facing a stand with little key chains on it with Canada and its flag stamped on it. Suddenly a name was dropped into my heart: "Joshua." I knew exactly who that was. He is a young lad whose mom phones me from time to time. She is bringing up her family on her own, so this 13-year-old has no Daddy around. Occasionally I send him a little miniature car or train and his mom lets him phone me back to thank me. We don‘t have a lot to say to each other except to reassure each other of our love.

Now, why would the Lord want me to send him a key chain? It is going to be quite a few years before he is going to be needing one (as in driving a car!) Then, I heard the Spirit say: "He needs it now. Put two keys on it and tell him one is the key to your heart. The second one is the key to My heart (the heart of Jesus.)"

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I was so touched that the Lord would make such a tender, loving gesture toward this young lad that I had a hard time to control my tears while we were still in the store. Once on the road, I think I must have cried for the first ten miles. My heart was simply broken up! I thought, —Lord, we have never known You like this! We have never understood that Your heart of love is so personal! We always expect You to look after the big affairs of the world and the universe, but to think of Your showing Your love in such a tender way to a fatherless lad, is almost beyond our comprehension! May I say, "We never knew Him in this way." Yet, this is the day when He is breaking our hearts so that He will be able to reveal His heart of love to us in a way we have never known it! Many are telling me how the Lord is teaching them to love with His Love, so it seems to be one of the operations that is being carried out as we enter the Feast of Tabernacles.

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A few days after this happened, I was in the shower, speaking words of love to my Lord. My heart was still warmed from what He had done with the keys for my young friend Joshua, when He spoke to my heart, "Did you not know that I am a Father to the fatherless (and a Husband to the widow)? This was not simply said OF Me. I, Myself, said it; yet My creation knows Me not! I hurried out of the shower and wrote those words down and the Spirit continued: "They know Me not in the capacity of a loving Father. They see Me foremost as a Judge who will bring retribution upon man's every failing. It was I Who permitted My creation to be made subject to frailty and corruption. (Romans 8:20-21). And it is I Who shall bring him out of it! This is the only way that My creation could know Me. They need to know Me by experience, but in the experiencing would I throw them away as trash–as those who have no value because they are not good enough?

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Oh, My children, what joy is coming to My Heart as My small remnant is beginning to know Me as I Am, not as man has said that I Am. These have suffered long and have embraced the cross and have found in My sacrifice for them all they need to live a holy life. They have learned to walk humbly before their God and not only before Him, but as Him, in His nature, before all who know not My Love!"

Elaine Cook

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