Proverbs 8:7-9
For my mouth will utter truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.

We have been in Tyler, Texas for about a month now. It has been an interesting beginning to this next phase of God’s continuing plan for Nate and me.  It is remarkable to be walking out what has been spoken to me in the secret place of prayer.  Our passion is for the Body of Christ, to see them healed, trained, equipped, and mature.  This has taken shape since we arrived the first of June in our House Church.  I don’t know that I expected it so quickly. I guess I felt like we were still transitioning, but God said, It is time!

I can’t state the details, but I can tell you that Nate and I did exactly what we have passion for and that is to bring truth into the lives of God’s people. The enemy would twist and pervert the Word of God, but Jesus is Truth.  He requires truth from His holy people!

Psalm 145:18-19
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

I love this scripture! We must come to God with truthful lips! To say that we love God and then twist His Word is deceitful. It lacks the fear of the LORD! To walk in the fear of the LORD is to hate what is evil. Lying is sin and it is evil.  So, as we have had to confront some of these issues, we are falling on the LORD for grace. We do not in any way want to injure God’s people, but to ignore sin is not a loving response either. 

So, we seek Wisdom to lead God’s people. We ask to be clothed in humility and compassion as we speak truth. Wisdom is supreme the proverb states, and I believe it. As we seek the LORD, He brings His wisdom to the situation.

A couple of days ago, I awoke feeling heavy in heart.  I did an introspective look at my heart. I needed Jesus, plainly and simply.  I had been so caught up in the counsel and issues of the church that I had neglected my quiet times. I had grabbed a word here and a quick prayer there, but just enjoying the lover of my soul? I had neglected Him!

He is so faithful when we are faithless! He restored my soul.
I began reading a verse that has become a life verse for Nate and I.

Zechariah 4:6-10
Then he answered and said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of Grace, grace to it!

Also the word of the LORD came to me saying, the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel, these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth

This is an excerpt from the book of Zechariah. He was a prophet during the first generation after the Babylonian exile had ended.  God wanted the temple to be restored and He used Zechariah as a voice to the people of Judah to get this accomplished.  He also used Zerubbabel the governor of Judah to begin the work. It says in the above passage that Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the Temple, but construction ended for a number of years. Why? Because Temple worship, the law of the LORD was not popular among the people of Judah. They were comfortable in their sin. They did not want a righteous standard brought back into Judah.  God’s word to Zerubbabel was one of encouragement; don’t give up, don’t despise this small beginning, it’s not by your might or your power that this Temple will be finished. My Spirit will accomplish it through you! I know we can all relate to this passage. It also says that these seven will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. The plumb line was used for measuring a wall so that it is built true to plumb. It is a carpenter’s tool for making something square. It is symbolic to God bringing in a righteous standard to a situation. His righteous standard is His Word.  God will rejoice! Man may or may not rejoice when they see a righteous standard coming into their city, or coming into their church, but God will! He will also empower you for the work! He will accomplish what He has planned and He will be glorified through us!

It is not always a popular place to be used of God to speak truth. To set things straight in the lives of God’s people is tricky, but Nate and I know we are called to do this. This is not our only calling, but for this Cassia Offering this is the topic.

I read this entire book as I was studying this topic, and I uncovered something in Chapter three that I want to share.

Zechariah 3:7
Thus says the LORD of hosts, If you will walk in My ways, and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.

This is such a beautiful promise from the LORD spoken through Zechariah to Joshua the High Priest during that time in Judah. Christians are all priests according to I Peter 2:9.  We are to walk in His ways by patterning ourselves after Jesus, the good Shepherd.

Performing service in the Hebrew lexicon states, to safeguard, to watch, take charge for, and to protect. Govern my house in the Hebrew means to judge, to minister, to plead the cause, and to rule.  Having charge of my courts would be to walk in God’s authority.

God speaking through the prophet Zechariah then says, I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. Who is God speaking of? Read this in context and you will discover the angel of the LORD was there. I would say He is speaking of Jesus. We have access to Jesus. This is earth and heaven coming together.  I will say, Nate and I love the Body of Christ, and we are sometimes required of the LORD to take a stand against sin in the Body. Why? To safeguard her, to protect her, to plead the cause for her.  God is faithful to bring forth the fruit, we are only required to be obedient and love.

In my footnotes regarding the above passage it stated. 
Joshua the High Priest was given authority to govern, render justice and judge the house of the LORD on the condition that he himself walked in the ways of the LORD.

That is very good counsel! I love, love the Word of the LORD!

A word of the LORD from my quiet time on June 28th

I have begun a work in you that will have a lasting effect on generations to come. Wisdom is Supreme and you have chosen well. Wisdom has called aloud in the streets and you have responded to Her call.  Steadfastness has been the fruit of seeking Wisdom.

Exchanging yokes with the Father today was absolutely remarkable! I believe with all my heart what it says in Matthew 11 about yoke exchange. But when a substantial heart change happens to you personally it shakes your world. Maybe it doesn’t literally shake your world, but if you could see into the spirit world, things were rocking! All because of coming before Jesus and letting Holy Spirit lead the way to freedom!

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my load is light.

Jesus is instructing us how to get free through a detailed scripture. It requires an action out of us. We must first come to him. We do this through quieting ourselves before the One who created us and who knows us better than anyone else. We then are told to take the Father’s yoke in exchange for our heavy weight; the things that are pressing on us physically or emotionally. In doing this we receive wisdom to know how to change our circumstances, we also receive grace to walk things out till they change. His yoke is always better, easy, full of grace, and kind.

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law.

Let’s continue to humble ourselves before God; even when it is not our problem but the other persons. In doing this we are receiving more of God’s nature as our character, our soul is being transformed in the process. The fruit of this is God’s way of thinking, God’s way of communicating, and God’s way of loving people who are not so loveable at times.

When studying the above scripture there were two Spiritual fruits that stood out to me: one was kindness, and the other one is love. It seemed to be the two things Holy Spirit was emphasizing. Kindness means to be fair, justly dealing with others, doing that which is good. We all enjoy being around people who are kind. They are uplifting in their conversations.

When Jesus said my yoke is easy, He is saying it is my nature to be kind and willing to help. That is the Greek meaning of easy. I have been in conversations with people and have had a momentary loss of thought, and the person I’m talking with fills in the blanks for me. It is comforting and there is a healthy ebb and flow to the conversation. This is a simplistic example to being kind, but for me it’s huge and stands out. The Lord is never cynical and He is never sarcastic. I love the way he is and I want to be just like him! I believe we can take on more and more of his character through exchanging our yoke of insecurity, which produces the bad fruit, and receive a transformed mind that abounds in good fruit!

God is love. He is our source of love. He teaches us how to give and receive love in a healthy way. If we are producing the opposites of kindness and love in our lives, we should welcome Holy Spirit to take a closer look at the root of our bad fruit. I believe a poor self image and negative self talk is one source of bad fruit. God is our source of kindness and love and it is only right to go to Him to help make the lasting changes we need.

I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Fear of many things also keeps us from experiencing God’s love and keeps us from giving love in a healthy way. Many who have experienced salvation continue to struggle with fear, and the fruit of fear does not know how to love the way God loves.

For many years it was my prayer, to be perfected in love. I came to Christ with a fractured soul; fearful of so many things. As God began to heal me emotionally, I began to learn from him how to give and receive love. He is so patient and kind with us. He knows how we are made, and he knows our beginning and our ending. He wants us to experience freedom!

I Corinthians 13: 1-8
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Wow, we can have spiritual gifts operating in and through us and still not be perfected in love! Basically, that is all of us who call ourselves believers. We are in the process of being sanctified, but Jesus still allows us to preach, teach, and prophesy. He is a God of patient endurance in regards to his children. In saying that we must also say this, we are nothing without love. The gifts of the Spirit profit us and our hearers little if we are not motivated by God’s agape love firstly.

Colossians 3:12-15
And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

This is a priceless scripture! Put on compassion, this is yet another action we are required to do. I do this by simply saying or asking, Lord would you clothe me with compassion? I put on compassion, love, and kindness. I choose to walk in these.

We are to forgive the one we have a complaint against. Why? Jesus forgave us and continues to forgive us. I would add, be quick to forgive. Go immediately into your secret place and ask the Lord to reconcile your heart towards that person. Speak blessing over the one who has offended you. Then watch what happens. There will be a transformation of your thinking and your actions. Jesus does this through the yoke exchange He spoke about in Matthew 11.

Finally we are instructed to put on love. Here we are called to action once again. We do this the same way we did with compassion. It is by faith that we say, I choose to put on love!

Holy Spirit spoke this to me in my quiet time today.

Be quick to forgive when the offense comes. Press into Me. You will gain strength to love without conditions attached. I will perfect you in love. Love given from a surrendered heart is perfect love. Love not seeking its own gratification but love given, freely given.

Psalm 68:11
The Lord gives the command; the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host

In this Psalm, David is actually pulling words from Deborah and Barak’s victory over the Canaanite King and his army.




Before looking at the story of Deborah in the book of Judges, I want to look at the Hebrew meanings of a couple of words in this verse. In the verse we see the Lord giving a directive and the women responding to it.

To proclaim the good tidings means to be fresh, full, cheerful and rosy! It is a verb meaning to bring good news.

Wow! I have felt this joy after hearing God’s heart beat for the nations and knowing He wanted me to go. I have been full with the pregnancy of vision for a people group. I believe I have glowed with the Holy Spirit and expectancy of greatness coming forth!

A great host speaks of a mass of persons organized for war. Can we just for a moment think about all the mighty women of God we know standing shoulder to shoulder ready for battle? We have heard our Commander-in-Chief’s directive and we say, YES! Lead us into battle, lead us on to victory! I know through intercession God has re-routed spiritual powers of darkness. I also know through praise and worship God has set ambushes against our enemies. As we raise our cries up to the Most High, He moves on our behalf!

Looking at the story of Deborah in the book of Judges begins with God’s judgment against Israel. Israel had once again done evil in the sight of the Lord. The Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan. Sisera was the commander of his army. So, after twenty years of being oppressed severely by the Canaanites, God heard their cry and spoke to Deborah a prophetess who was judging Israel at that time. Deborah sent for Barak and told him God’s plan for delivering Israel from this Canaanite King. She had very clear instructions from the Lord as to how they were to defeat Sisera and the Canaanite army. He clearly told Deborah, “I will give them into your hands.” Barak did not receive this word with great joy or faith. He said, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

When you have been in the presence of the Lord you are filled with faith for the battle. Deborah knew who her Commander-in-Chief was. She knew the Lord would be true to his word to her. She was pregnant with the message, full of faith, and I believe it showed on her face. She was confident in the authority God had given her. Barak on the other hand wasn’t fresh, full, cheerful or rosy!

Deborah answered Barak by saying, I will go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman. This is interesting to me, as Barak did trust Deborah and was obedient to the word she received from the Lord, even though he was not brave enough to go on his own.

God led them beautifully and defeated Sisera and the Canaanite army just as He told Deborah He would. It says the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera took off on foot. All the Canaanite army fell by the sword, not one was left! Sisera’s outcome was a little grisly, but is worth mentioning because of who killed him.

Sisera ran to the tent of a friend. The friend’s wife Jael told him to come inside and basically she would hide him from the Israelite army. He was exhausted and asked her for a drink of water. She gave him milk to drink and he lay down to sleep. Jael covered him with a blanket. When Sisera fell asleep, Jael took a tent peg and hammered it into Sisera’s temple. She sent the peg through his temple into the ground and killed him. The Israelites pressed on and destroyed Jabin the King of Canaan. God did what He told Deborah he would do!

God is looking for women and men who will take time to listen to his thoughts; He desires for nations and people to know him intimately. God desires for the oppressed to finally find freedom in Christ. God wants to partner with you in faith and intercession for many things. He will re-route armies because of your prayers.

Most of the Bible is written by men about men who have done crazy exploits for God. Today in my quiet time, He focused on two women Deborah and Jael who did his bidding. In the song of Deborah and Barak in chapter 5 of Judges, they sing, most blessed of women is Jael. King David also speaks of Jael in verse 12 of Psalm 68. Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home will divide the spoil.

Jael was not just a mere woman. She was obedient to God and helped defeat the Canaanite army. Deborah a judge for the Israelites had wisdom and above all believed what God told her and was obedient!

I want to complete this Cassia offering with a word from the Lord to the mighty women of God.

I have a mighty company of women who want to do my bidding. They are courageous and persistent in their love for me and my Kingdom. They sit at my feet to receive their marching orders to go here and there. They receive grace and strength from me for the task. My heart is full of pride and love for each one of you. You are like Deborah and Jael, strong, full of purpose, knowing your Commander. I am able to accomplish great exploits through each of you!

I am excited to be writing again. It has been a few months since I last posted in Cassia Offerings. I love being transparent in my writings, it is really who I am and it is dealing with everyday struggles trying to follow the Lord in obedience. This road has taken us to The Netherlands and to the industrious Dutch people.

This actually began as an email to a dear friend. I read through it and realized it was my heart being laid bare, but also the Lord laying His cover over it. I believe you may be able to relate to my struggles and garner something from it. My prayer went something like this on that day sitting by the North Sea, looking out at the dark water, the buoys, and the grey skies.

Holy Spirit as I sit here, I pray for a word. What is your word to me? Your word is a lamp to my feet, directing and guiding us as that buoy does for the ships and tug boats. Let your praise be lifted high! I delight to do your will more than I desire the comfort of home. I love you Jesus. Thank you for establishing us, settling us.

Grace my daughter as you enter this stage of your life. More grace to learn new things, as you try to adapt to the Dutch way of living. You delight my heart as you are so far out of your comfort zone. My mercies are new to you everyday. There are boundaries set up for your protection. They keep you from the rocky edges and the shallow water. Go deep Jan, Launch out into the deep of Holland. You will find an amazing catch. You will bear much fruit in this season of your life. Trust Me, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

I delight to do His will more than I desire the comforts of the familiar. Yet, I need Him desperately every day, several times daily. I have been dealing with some negative self talk, or perhaps the enemy talking in my ear. I take these negative statements captive because I know what the truth is, but at times the negative statements make sense to me. It is crazy what Nate and I are thinking of doing here. We are not young, we do not know the language, we fumble in the Dutch culture, are we relevant for this generation?

God affirms daily that we are where He wants us to be. That He will make us relevant to those twenty and thirty years younger than ourselves, and He will give grace to learn the language and the Dutch culture.

So, I continue on, trusting that God himself will do what he is speaking to us. “I will establish you in The Netherlands.”

Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age I shall be the same and even to your graying years I shall bear you. I have done it, and I shall carry you; And I shall bear you, and I shall deliver you.

Isaiah 46:9-11
Remember the former things long past. For I am God, and there is no one like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient times things which have not been done, Saying my purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; Calling a bird of prey from the east. The man of my purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.

These are two scriptures that I received in my quiet time today. They are encouraging and applicable. He is faithful to speak and each time He does He covers me.

In the above passage, it says; God has spoken, He will bring what He says to pass, He has planned it, surely He will do it! I would say this takes the pressure off of the one being spoken to. Yes? It is God’s plan from the beginning; I pressed in and overheard His heart. At this point I had a choice to be obedient or to talk my way out of it. I believe that God is so gracious that He could have continued to use us in Albuquerque, or in Tyler, Texas. He asked would we consider serving in The Netherlands. To which we responded, Yes Lord. Just because we responded yes to The Netherlands does not change things. It is still God’s plan and He will establish it!

The first few weeks of being in The Netherlands were ones of striving. I knew to not try and make things happen, but it kept rising up in me. You know that feeling of ….I need to do something; I need to set up appointments to meet people, praying Holy Spirit open the door for ministry, asking close friends to pray for open doors. I felt in my gut the anxiety of it all. It was ridiculous! If you know me, you know I rest in the Lord. I pray and I trust Him to do things. I have taught on resting in the Lord and how we should not strive to make things happen. I was sharing this with Martijn and he told me that this is an issue with the Dutch people. They are constantly striving to make the most of every single minute. They have difficulty resting. We call these folks industrious, hard working. This is good in the work place, but in life, in the kingdom of God we must learn to enter the rest of God. Complete trust that He will bring things in our lives and ministry to fruition. We include Him always in our decisions and He directs our paths. He will do it!

It is always interesting to me how God uses our natural surroundings to teach us more about Himself. So, we are resting in Him, and believe He will continue to illuminate our paths. He has the plan for The Netherlands and He is showing us a little bit more of it. I wish it was a clear outline, but then that would not take faith or dependence on Him daily. So, I fall on Him often. I run into Him and I feel safe. I am vulnerable, clumsy and naked, but He covers me with His robe. Trust Him with your lives and in the process of it becoming clearer to you, He is there to encourage and cover you.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Psalm 37:4 [NAS]
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart?

What desires are in your heart?

John 15:7-8
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

If we are abiding in the LORD, living in fellowship with him, and making him a part of our decisions, He puts His godly desires into our hearts. It’s a beautiful cycle of abiding, thinking the very thoughts of God, faith being released in our hearts to do the very things the LORD has put in our hearts and minds to do.

I Corinthians 2:16 [NAS]
For who has known the mind of the LORD that he will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

So as I have made Jesus a part of my life, He continues to show me his heart for people. My thoughts begin to take on a measure of selflessness and I desire to serve humanity. In Nate’s life and mine this is going to involve going to various parts of the world, but also serving where we are for now.

What are the thoughts that are whirling around in your head? I would say, “If they are good, pure, and if they are peaceable they are being put there by the LORD.” Ask Him what you are to do with what he is showing you. I believe He is always showing us something that is good and selfless. It is his great pleasure to give to us what we ask for.

Proverbs 16:3 [Amplified Version]
Roll your works upon the LORD commit and trust them wholly to HIM; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed.

This is a beautiful scripture stating that as we commit our works to the LORD, He in return begins to put his thoughts inside us. We begin thinking the very thoughts of God. Our thoughts are becoming agreeable to His will for us. This brings me such comfort in knowing that I am not going to make a wrong move as long as I include the LORD in my decisions.

I encourage you to listen, and then to step out and do what He asks you to do.

I heard His voice as clearly as my own, saying; “I will walk you through this” Jesus knew the month of October would be a difficult one for me, so He spoke this to me at the beginning of the month before it all began. He was giving me a simple word of encouragement to hold on to. Believe me, I have held on to it through much physical suffering and weakness of body like I have never experienced before. So, I have been meditating as much as my brain would allow on suffering and why God allows it. He does allow it, that I am certain! He is altogether good, loving and wants the best for me, this I am also certain. Wow! They seem to contradict each other. How could God who loves me and wants the best for me allow me to suffer?

I know I have to tread lightly here, because many of us who are part of the Body of Christ would never say,” God caused or gave me this illness.” We would even choke on the words, “God has allowed this illness.” I know having been a cancer survivor of almost 8 years now; you have to be very careful how you testify about God “getting” me through that time.

I studied the Greek meaning of suffering in many of the New Testament passages we are so familiar with.

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

II Corinthians 1:5
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

Philippians 3:10-11
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead

I Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

These all are from the Greek word pathema meaning, something undergone for example a hardship or pain.
It really focuses on the passion of Christ.

Hebrews 12:2
Who for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It also addresses the fellowship of sharing in these sufferings as the disciples of the New Testament often endured. They experienced many afflictions and persecutions for being associated with Christ and proclaiming Him as Lord. Many people throughout the world are enduring painful persecutions, hardships and afflictions for no other reason than because of being a Christian.

So, I have been mulling over all of these scriptures within their contexts. It seems to me we do not suffer the same kinds of persecutions as Jesus or his disciples did, nevertheless we suffer!
Can we make the jump here? I think we can, we do suffer persecutions, and afflictions to some degree here in America.

They are no less troubling and distressing and Jesus doesn’t minimize them in any way! He uses them! He allows these hardships and afflictions so that we will rely on Him and we are strengthened in the end. We will have much more compassion for our friends, family and acquaintances who are suffering.

Hebrews 12:11
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

We are being trained by Jesus through various trials and testings and this is also to produce in us more of His nature. Yes, I want to be more like Jesus, but do I have to endure this suffering? Jesus, please deliver me from this weakness and suffering. He responds, “Be strengthened in me my child, for when you are weak my strength is being perfected in you.”

This is a word from Jesus that I received last night. I was listening to Mike Bickle and forerunner worship out of Missouri last evening and during the worship Jesus spoke so sweetly to me.

I am so near to you.

I am training you in patient endurance. I am equipping you for service in my Kingdom. Take courage, take heart! You are strong and I am teaching you how to patiently endure to the end. I am giving you joy, in the midst of the pain and weakness. Cultivate these, patience in suffering, endurance in the midst of the testing, and joy! Rejoice always, Joy always!

Matthew 10:22
And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

This is such an amazing scripture in its Greek meaning.

To endure means to suffer, to be long suffering, to persevere, to abide, to stay under, to put up with.

To endure to the end is an interesting phrase. The end actually means the conclusion of an act or state, the sum total, the end the final purpose, a limit, a boundary.

Will be saved actually means to make whole, to preserve or deliver out of physical death, to heal, to restore to health, to be healed, to recover.

How many of you in the American church are suffering because of the Name of Jesus? Maybe a few, but many are suffering discouragement, just hanging on for a better day, living below the poverty line, struggling to put food on your table, stuck in a job you hate, working below your ability and having to submit to someone less qualified, working a job that is demoralizing because it pays better than the burger joint, suffering with fatigue and maladies of all sorts?

There are testing’s that come our way as believers and they have come to strengthen our reliance on Jesus. He is committed to help you through these difficult times. I believe we are to commit these situations whatever they may truly be to Jesus. He says,” There is an appointed time for this to cease.” There is a boundary, a limit to the testing. In the end the word says you will be saved. He will deliver you out of the situation, change the circumstances so they are more agreeable. He is able to make all grace abound to you in your testing.

You know we live in a fallen world with moral decay all around us, but we are here to be a light reflecting the glory of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against then schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

So, we live in a fallen world and have an enemy the devil who is out to steal, kill and destroy us. What is the good news here?

Jesus of course is the answer! He is more than able to defeat the enemy harassing you. He is able to strengthen you through the battle, to give you hope for you and your families future. He is your provider. He is your glory and the lifter of your head! He also has the ability at any given time to miraculously heal and deliver you instantly. I am not saying that we should not pray in faith believing for this. We always do this and continue to believe for our miracle or deliverance. In the times He chooses to wait, He has a purpose, an end result which is always motivated by a love that is so perfect and good!

A word to you from Jesus:

I am with you my child. I am very near to you. Can you feel me strengthening you? I am near, blowing my life into you. I will be for you exactly what you need. Grace to you my child, a strengthening grace is covering you, making provision for you. Don’t fret, I will provide all you need. Take time to rest and recover completely. It will be good in the end. Grace, grace is all you need right now. It will see you through to the end result. Take any worrisome thoughts captive in Jesus Name. Do not meditate on them. Release love and peace to those who have not quite understood what you are going through. Do not take up offense! I will see you through this time. I am forever with you, Jesus

You are loved and cherished by Jesus!

Good Morning! It is Sunday, August 28, 2011. Nate is at our Vineyard church and I am at home today; recovering from a road trip and a virus. I was quieting myself before the Lord and He spoke this to me.

Rest assured that you and Nate will be together a long time, till death parts you. I want you to rest in knowing that he loves you and prefers you to all others. Don’t struggle, rest, and rest. Find your place of complete peace and assurance in Me. Life is sweet for you and Nate. I have made it this way as a reward to you both. You both are so faithful, to the cause of the Kingdom and to each other. My blessings are on you, and you will serve with joy. My boundaries for you have fallen in pleasant places. Rejoice, rejoice, this is all very good!

Wow! This was completely unexpected and so sweet! I wasn’t praying about Nate and me although this has been on my heart for quite some time. Holy Spirit zeroed in on my vulnerability and spoke truth to it. The scripture reference for, “My boundaries for you have fallen in pleasant places” is found in Psalm 16.

Psalm 16:6
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

These boundary lines are representative of our lot in life. I know you have probably heard people say, “This is my lot in life” typically in a negative connotation. The believer, one who has put their trust in Jesus has a different “lot” in life!

These boundary lines, or our lot in life, have fallen in pleasant places. In the Hebrew lexicon it describes the word pleasant as being, delightful, sweet, lovely, and agreeable.

I had to smile when Holy Spirit spoke to me that, “life is sweet for you and Nate” I typically use the word sweet to describe something I like. So, it is not uncommon to hear Holy Spirit speak to me in my common language, but when I was doing the search in the Hebrew on pleasant places and saw the word sweet it made me so happy.

Life is amazingly sweet when you are sharing it with someone who loves and cares for you. Kingdom living is so much fun; it is filled with delights as you follow the paths the Lord has for you. I am not discounting “real life” if you have read my past Cassias you know that I have been brutally honest about life. It is difficult at times, but is always manageable with Jesus! He makes it delightful even when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

So, let me tell you how this Kingdom living is coming forth in our lives. Recently, Nate and I have prayed and received clearer direction on what will be our next step in serving in missions. We know we are called to the nations of the world, to go and share our joy in Christ, to disciple and to love.

We are currently part of a Vineyard Church here in Albuquerque. We are helping this new church plant by leading worship. We are learning from our pastor how to build a church. He is a church planter and has successfully planted a vineyard church, which he and his wife pastored for ten years before coming to Albuquerque. We indeed have a lot to learn and it is a joy to be part of this new plant.

In January, Nate and I will be flying to The Netherlands to spend a month with our daughter Rebekah, Martijn her husband and Isa our granddaughter. Our purpose is two-fold as there is a Vineyard church in Amsterdam. We are very interested in helping with this church on a long term basis. We do not know whether this will eventually be an opportunity for Nate and I to church plant also in Amsterdam or in another part of Europe. We are going to scout things out in January, with the hope of returning later that year to live there. Nate and I are learning the Dutch language through internet studies, CDs and computer programs.

This is quite the adventure at our age … yet, Jesus! He says, “Go and help, go and be about building my Kingdom in Amsterdam.” We are so excited to be able to do this. The Dutch language is actually coming pretty easy to Nate and me, for which I know is God enabling us.

Psalm 2:8
Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thy inheritance and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.

I love this psalm. God is speaking through David about the coming Messiah, who before going to the cross for the redemption of the world was filled with joy in his heart because he knew many would receive this great salvation!

I also believe this is my spiritual inheritance, to see many come to know Jesus as their Lord! We asked God for the nations and He has responded by leading us to The Netherlands to be part of sharing our hope in Jesus and serving the Body of Christ there. This is His boundary lines falling for us in pleasant places. We do have a delightful inheritance.