Pressing into blessing

I would like to share some words of encouragement that I have received personally while studying the Old Testament part of the Bible recently.

When getting near to the Promised land, Israelites complained: "Why is the Lord bringing us to this land - just to have us die in battle? Our wives and children will be taken as prisoners of war!" (Numbers 14, 3) Humanly speaking, we may understand them - after all, they had mainly seen slavery and oppression, and a difficult journey so far in their lifetime. Still, it was a grave mistake from their part - especially because they had already seen the mighty hand of God on their behalf. The Lord replied: "You said your children will be taken as prisoners of the war. Instead, I will bring them to the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it." (Numbers 14, 31) Maybe you find it difficult to hope today. Perhaps, for most part you have only experienced slavery to sin or suffering under unfortunate circumstances, and the difficulties on a journey of life. Be assured this is not all there is! God has something better ahead, so let us press on to enter His promises! Let us keep our hopes up to be able to see and take hold of what He has prepared! See and envision yourself and your loved ones coming out in glorious light, freedom, and joy!

As stated in a quote that was recently posted in  a Christian WeChat group (author unknown): “Don't settle for mere talk about God's power - or books and songs about His power. Ask Him to show you for yourself. If God had given you a task that looks impossible, do it anyway; then you can experience His power accomplishing His will through your life. Don't consider your own inadequacy. That's irrelevant. Remember, nothing is impossible with God! "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.“(Jeremiah 32:17)

In Numbers 22-24, we read a story how Balaam who is hired by king Balak to curse Israel, ends up blessing them three times instead, and prophesying their victory. Reading into context of preceding and following chapters, these rich words of blessing on Israel come somewhat as a surprise, as we can find quite serious problems in Israelite camp, and God dealing with them both before and afterwards. True, they had first few victories already, but likely they went to battle still only with manna in their stomachs. You may have various internal struggles and challenging outward circumstances today. But I want to tell you, if you stand in Jesus, YOU ARE BLESSED! You are blessed nevertheless! YOU ARE BLESSED BEYOND THE CURSE! AND YOU WILL INHERIT THE LAND AND GOD'S PROMISES! Maybe to someone from aside it is much more apparent than to yourself. "How beautiful are your tents, o Jacob, your dwelling places, o Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness - who dares to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!" (Numbers 24, 5-9)

Releasing bitterness

Recently, a friend shared with me a book “Chaos beneath the shade” by Tracey Bickle. Featuring a dark cover with a tree having impressive root system, the book addresses how we all have experienced loss and injustice at the magnitude that God never designed us for. Bitterness may result, manifesting as certain kind of wisdom, cranky moods, critical words, cynicism expressed through witty jokes, being on guard, disappointment, and even feeling burnt out. Bitterness is like a fatal poison in our spiritual root system, lurking within and causing chaos. Like Cain, our bitterness leads us to disconnect not only from God, but also from our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is a vulnerable place to be and right where Satan wants us. Eventually, we face the valley of decision where we can make victorious choice toward God and toward relationship. We need to be on guard against bitterness in our heart, because most of the time, at first it goes unnoticed. The Bible warns: “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12, 15) Our bitterness affects those around us, especially our children, and can be passed down through generations. Parents need to go ahead and step on the head of the snake of bitterness before it devours their children.

In my own study of the Old Testament, I have found one cause of the bitterness can be that we don’t always get justice and recognition of our efforts from people. In Genesis 31, Jacob said to Laban: ”I have been with you for 20 years. Your sheep and goats never miscarried, and I never ate any rams from your flocks. I paid for the ones killed by wild animals by myself. The scorching heat during the day and the cold at night wore me down, and I lost a lot of sleep. I worked for you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.“ However, Jacob’s hope is in God’s justice: “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty-handed by now. God has seen my misery and my hard work, and last night He made it right.” When leaving Laban, Jacob is heavily pressed between a rock and a hard place – Laban is running after him, but in front is his estranged brother Esau, who also may harm him upon return to homeland. To enter the wonderful promises of God, he faces a lot of wrestling, but finally it is said about him in Genesis 32: “you have struggled with God and men and won.” May we have the same persistence and courage in face of difficult circumstances, pressing though bitterness and difficulties towards something better!
This summer, I got to listen to beautiful meditation on how to release your prisoner to Jesus, which can be found at http://suebohlin.com/mp3s/03-wellspring.mp3, starting at about 0:57:35. I listened in the dark room with closed eyes, and it was a truly a vivid encounter; the background music also makes for a wonderful experience. While holding bitterness against someone, at times we may not know how to release it. I love that in this meditation, we are invited to tell Jesus all that someone did to us, and He is even asking: “Is there more?” To truly release something, first step is to recognize the offense; if we deny and continue to suppress it, we will not be free. Jesus looks to you with so much love in His eyes, and says: “Tell me what they did. Don’t leave anything out, tell me also the effect that it had on you.” He says He needs to know everything. We need to empty ourselves of it, speaking honestly about our feelings to Jesus, and then surrendering the person to Him and what He wants to do with them. And afterwards, He says: “I am SO sorry. Your pain matters to Me.“ He nods at you, and you know that He completely understands. He takes your prisoner into His custody and relieves your burden, saying: “I love you so much! I want you to be free! Enjoy your freedom!” This meditation and co-operating with it brought much release and light, so I sincerely recommend listening to it, and probably not just once.

I am here for you

One evening quite recently, I lied down to rest and had a special experience with Jesus. In my spirit, I saw myself in the apartment of my paternal grandma, reliving a moment in my early teens. At the bedroom of that apartment, my grandma had a big mirror, and there was also a big closet of clothes in the room in dark wood. In the shelves under the mirror, there were some jewelry pieces and fragrances of grandma which I always loved to look at. One of fondest memories of the time was me playing in that room in big emptry TV box, imagining it as a house. Jesus brought me back to a moment in that room which I have not thought of recently. I was standing in front of the mirror and put on a new piece of clothing, which, looking back, was one of my favorites during my early teens. It was a purple summer onesee of shorts at the bottom and strap top, made from very soft and stretchy material; I could almost still feel the touch of that material in my hands. I relived that moment with Jesus and then heard Him say: I AM HERE FOR YOU. I could experience now that this piece of clothing was His special expression of love to me at a time, though I did not recognize it yet then. Indeed in those days it was difficult to get something interesting and colorful like that. Then I saw Jesus lifting me up in his arms, as a young teenager I was at a time, and turning around in the air, as we both were laughing. Later, I saw myself standing in front of the mirror again, and saw Jesus wrapping His arms around me from behind and saying: NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM MY LOVE. That moment, sun rays from the window of the bedroom from the left were coming right to us and He was repeating:“Nothing… nothing… nothing can separate you from my love.” I also saw Him sitting on the side of the bed, holding me in total security and acceptance, and saying again: “I am here for you.”  Some other memories resurfaced, Jesus again assuring me that He is there for me, though it all. This experience in total went for about two hours. A deeper stability and assurance of His love throughout my life time was being worked into my spirit in the meantime. The experience somewhat resounded with the message at the website of Sue Bohlin, which I had listened to some weeks ago called “My precious bride”, available in full here http://suebohlin.com/mp3s/MyPreciousBride.mp3. Here some meaningful quotes for me from that message: “How beautiful you are, my darling, you are altogether beautiful, and there is no blemish in you. I want you to revel in my love for you, a love which is bigger and deeper than you can possibly understand, so you can let Me fill you till you are overflowing with the delight of being loved and cherished. I wove your inward parts in your mother’s womb, I watched you grow as I skillfully fashioned your body and soul, and when you were born, I smiled and said: “Oh… I did a very good job!” I think about you all the time. I know you better than you know yourself. I know every habit and every idiosyncrasy about you. You are my eternal companion to sit with Me on my throne. You are precious and honored in My sight and I LOVE YOU. No one and nothing can separate you from my love. Nothing… nothing…nothing can separate you from my love.“

Truly stepping out to follow

In July this summer, very powerful experience for me has been watching the movie The Last Reformation: The beginning (available on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zka4DUYeJ5g), which is about wonderful transformations in street evangelism with signs and wonders following. I highly recommend watching this movie, and there are training opportunities organized by this movement in some locations as well. It started with Torben Sondergaard’s heart’s cry to be fruitful and to truly reach people for Jesus. While doing my readings in the Old Testament, I found some powerful confirmation to what I saw in the movie. In Exodus 4, God sent Moses to Israelites to set them free from slavery in Egypt. It is possible to draw some parallels between how Moses was sent and how the disciples of Jesus were sent out in Mark 16. Moses was given the sign of shepherd's staff turning to snake and then back to staff; disciples were given power over demonic forces. Moses was given sign of skin disease and it disappearing; disciples were given authority to heal. Moses was given a sign of water turning into blood; disciples were baptizing in water and overcoming by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12,11). That is the true flowing Christ and stepping out of the boat; I slso love the boat scene in movie The Shack (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1OHyINxuRQ). The aspect of speaking and testifying is important regarding both Moses and disciples; something Moses felt hesitant about and was given Aaron as a help. Help of disciples is the Holy Spirit; Jesus assures He will give them what to say (Luke 12,11). In response, this prayer arises in my heart: “Lord, help us to respond to your call and to be true followers willing to step out! Enable us to walk in your authority, open our mouths, and let signs and wonders follow!” Some claim that signs and wonders are not for today, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13,8). Interestingly, the verse of the month in my German Christian calendar was about Jesus making us a fisher of men (Matthew 4,19).

I believe in many cases, we need more than just the Word; we need to touch people to the depth of their need with the power of God, and not just when reaching out, but also the people who are already in the church – so many need physical and inner healing. We don’t want to just have the shape and form of godliness, but God’s power in our midst. I personally connect best to people who hunger for seeing more of God, want to go deeper, and are not satisfied with just regular activities and seeing God in some small ways in their lives. I recently made a new friend who has health issues and it amazed me that though she has been part of fellowships, she has not been joined in prayer for healing. We need to go deeper than just superficial talks and lunches, notice the needs people are having and step out in faith to reach out to them. We prayed with this sister and continue to proclaim her healing. Sometimes stepping out can be starting to proclaim instead of just praying to God, because it is possible to pray from position of unbelief, but by proclaiming we learn to align with the position of faith, hope, and expectation.

However, we also need God's guidance in stepping out. At times we may respond from fight or plight reactions, which are quite human - we either passively bear and avoid something too long, trying to run away, or  - confront and fight with some problem aggressively in our own strength. These responses may be destructive and unhelpful to actually change situation for better. In Exodus 2, Moses demonstrated both of these. He killed Egyptian who was beating Hebrew slave, and then ran away from Egypt. This did not achieve much to change the yoke the nation was bearing. The change came when Israelites cried out to God, He heard and sent Moses to deliver them. We need to pray and be in the presence of God, cry out and receive God’s guidance rather than act upon impulses of our human nature. At the right time, God’s way of delivering Israelites was effective, eliminating the whole system of oppression and letting them to take out the riches of Egypt as recompense. The quote that recently also spoke to me, sent to a WeChat list (author unknown) states as follows: “Witnessing is not something we do for God; it is something we do in response to what God is doing. Real witnessing doesn’t involve selling Christ as though He were a product; it involves learning to recognize the Spirit of God working in someone’s life and joining Him in this activity. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day."(John 6, 44)”

Encouragement for open opportunities

This summer for some weeks already, I have been daily into Bible, the Old Testament, and often experienced that I was given just the encouragement I needed. For instance, on several occasions, I was given right words at the right time that contained encouragement regarding work.

This summer, I have been looking for some more work opportunities at the university as I will soon be able to round up and defend my PhD dissertation and have acquired some experience in university teaching already. In my search, I once went to a meeting where I had chance to make some personal connections regarding teaching at a different department. All was well, but on the way strangely I experienced strong eye irritation, which shook me off balance and left me struggling with feelings of defeat. Somehow the discomfort followed me into the meeting, and though I had opportunity to make some contacts, I felt low upon return home. But God gave me powerful encouragement through my daily readings: "Don't be afraid. I am your shield. Your reward will be very great." (Genesis 15, 1) In this verse, God gives Abram His encouragement and shows things yet unseen in the visible. I felt God was making me the same promise about opportunity ahead of me. Quite powerful verse was also: “Go! Walk back and forth across entire land because I will give it to you.” (Genesis 13, 17) So despite the way I felt that evening, I sent e-mails and CV’s to few persons, and eventually it resulted in another meeting and teaching opportunity. Interestingly, just before that meeting, I also had a situation that shook me off balance, but I quickly sent message to sisters in faith to pray and was able to calm down and have a good interview.

Another struggle on my mind lately has been about being able to have right balance as this year, I did not get longer holidays in Europe and have been feeling tired, wondering how to manage all areas in my life, such as raising kids, working, and finishing dissertation. These struggles were exacerbated by the fact that my youngest, Viva did not get a place in local daycare for another year, and also dissertation has not yet been possible to defend end summer as I originally hoped. God gave me powerful encouragement from the Old Testament daily readings that addressed these concerns as well. I was assured with a positive message that God wants to bless us at the workplace and bless the work of our hands so it can be a testimony to others. "The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. Joseph's master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful. He put him in charge of everything he owned. From that time on the Lord blessed the Egyptian's household because of Joseph." (Genesis 39: 2-3, 5) Another way God used Joseph to make Himself known in Egypt was through supernatural revelation and wisdom that saved people from famine. When Joseph was put in charge of Egypt, the pharaoh gave him a name Zaphenathpaneah (meaning – the Lord will speak; he will live). (Genesis 42, 45). All this reminded me that I do not have to accept failure in my mind; success is my share as the child of God, and also that there is great destiny for us in places God puts us. He wants us to be awe-inspiring to unbelieving world though our work supernaturally blessed by Him, by His wisdom that comes through us, and acts of saving people and nations, making them live. Moses’ prayer that has been helpful in my earlier working life and that I was reminded of again, was: “Let the kindness of the Lord our God be with us. Make us successful in everything we do. Yes, make us successful in everything we do.” (Psalm 90, 17)
In addition, as I read on in Exodus, chapters 16 to 18 addressed the way God cared for three important areas of concern of Israelites - He provided daily necessities, he gave them victory over enemies, and He protected their leader Moses from getting burned out. This is great encouragement for us as well - God is able to provide what we need, make us victorious over opposition, and give us the right balance in our work and calling so we do not get too exhausted. Let us trust Him with these needs today, He is able. 

Exceedingly, abundantly, above, and beyond

In spring, while walking from metro station to university, on my way I saw big buds on a tree. I was quite happy for these signs of spring, took a picture, and put it as my WeChat cover. Sometime later, however, the buds were opening, and it turned out to be a magnolia tree. Now, the view was truly amazing as there were quite many of these trees in the park. Some of them had white blossoms, others – pink, and there was even one tree which had both kinds mixed together. I felt God speaking to my heart: “You saw only buds and were happy. You are happy already about a little thing that I am doing. But there is so much more!”

During our ladies’ retreat end April, we watched a DVD by Priscilla Shirer titled “He is able,“ which was based on Ephesians 3, 20: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” The speaker emphasized that our God is able, and He is able to surprise - exceedingly，abundantly, above, and beyond anything we can ask or think, and way past our way past. She spoke of the fact that He can, of divine intervention and divine resources, and riches of His grace lavished upon us. In this verse, Paul prayed that the eyes of the believers would be opened to the foundational attributes of God, how enormous and grand He is. Therefore, now is the time to pray extravagant prayers and to consider the ability of God. Since Daddy is covering this, it changes the way you order. Priscilla Shirer reminded that abundant life is not when there are no impossible situations; we need to turn to God and away from what is bugging us, to bring our attention to Jesus Christ rather than worship the problem. Physical pull to focus on problem is related to the tyranny of the urgent. People mostly can only sympathize, but God has power to do something. Whether He chooses to manifest in a situation, that is His sovereignty, but we must believe that He can. Power of God is like dynamite, explosive beyond our wildest dreams. She went on to say that He is not exhaustible, so there is no need to be jealous, there will be enough for everyone – put that stuff on God’s table, whatever you need, He is able to do it for you. We can say to God: “Do that, or something better.” It says in the Bible that after the miracle of Jesus, the disciples believed - that means it is possible to be a disciple, but not to believe. All in Ephesians 3,20 means - all, since everything concerns God. God is predictable is His character, but unpredictable in His activity.

Regarding these greater things, lately God has been giving me glimpses of something He wants to do in my hometown. I saw a dream - I was driving up the stone or cement stairs by car, it was difficult, and there was huge resistance and trembling all over. At times, there were steps of stairs and then there were some places in-between with no steps as a level ground. Finally, I was up the stairs at the very top, had a heavenly, light and wonderful feeling, and I found myself at the yard of culture center of my hometown, with nobody else around. Afterwards, I was lifted up from there, up and up, and under me everything getting smaller, like zooming out in a Google map, as I continued to rise higher and higher, until I could see the whole world under. On another occasion, I was relaxing in presence of Jesus, calling on His name, and waiting on Him. Suddenly, I saw myself in castle ruins on island of my hometown, on the open-air stage. The whole stage and also front part of audience seats were under deep water. I was swimming in it, and it felt wonderful and heavenly. Later, the verse that connected to this vision was: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2,14) 

Reaching out to touch and heal

During our study on the heart of Jesus in our women’s group, we experienced Him reaching out to us with the desire to touch and heal us. In the lesson two about the peace of Jesus, Max Lucado painted a vivid picture of the window of the heart: “Once this window was clear, and your view of God was crisp. You knew what he wanted you to do. But then, suddenly, the window cracked. A pebble of pain broke the window. A stone struck, and whatever the pebble’s form, the result was shattered window. The crash echoed down the halls of your heart. Cracks went down from the point of impact, creating a spider web of fragmented pieces. And suddenly. God was not easy to see, His figure was distorted. It was hard to see Him through the fragments of hurt.” After doing this lesson, I felt I could agree with the relevance of this illustration, but was left wondering - what is the answer or solution to that? And only hint I could find in that chapter, was - “Jesus is closer than you’ve ever dreamed.” I shared this also in the group upon meeting and continued to think about it as I lied down to sleep that evening. I imagined the cracked window of glass and Jesus behind it. But then, surprisingly, with the eyes of my spirit I saw Him pushing out one of the big shards of window and reaching out through glass straight towards me! I received an amazing insight and revelation - if there is no pain, perhaps we can see God clearly, but there is still a glass wall in-between. But when the glass breaks, however, there is potential of actually touching Him! There is no wall in-between any more, when He removes the shattered pieces! I shared this insight with other women on our WeChat list.

Around the middle of the study, another sister in our group also shared amazing encounter where Jesus was reaching out to her. In a dream, she saw her feet with deep cracks and blood lines all over their bottom. Later, during her prayer time to Jesus before going to bed, the image came back, but this time she saw her feet made whole and as tender as the feet of newborn child. As a voice in her head, she heard Jesus saying to her: "I HEAL YOU". She could not stop crying afterwards, as healing washed over her soul as cleansing rain. She felt love and was so touched. We were wondering what the feet in her dream referred to, but in any case, it was obvious that it was an image which was significant to her and a somewhat tangible symbol of inner healing that was occurring. On another occasion, this sister felt fear of allergy strangling her, as once the swelling of the neck had been so bad that she almost could not breathe. She worried what would happen with her children if it repeats and something goes wrong. Interestingly, as she prayed about this, God showed her occasions when she had been harsh to children in the past. She broke out in confession in front of God, and through this confession, her fear was released. To us in the group, it was a powerful reminder of the importance of confession for healing and that at times we pray for a symptom, but God unexpectedly leads us deeper, to the root of the issue.

Another moving story that connects to this topic was shared by a sister who stayed in Suzhou for limited time. Many years ago when this Chinese woman became a Christian, there was an intense spiritual battle and opposition going on before her baptism. As a result, she had an accident with boiling water, scolding her legs. She went to hospital, but did not get the right kind of help, and pain got even worse. She went back home and was in her room, screaming for pain. Her parents told her to be silent; they cared more for their ‘face’ and what neighbors think than her agony. She felt disappointed for lack of support from her parents, when suddenly; in her head, she heard a very loud voice of Jesus saying her: “I LOVE YOU.” That moment, supernaturally, the pain went away almost altogether. Several people have become believers when she shared this testimony.

Basking under His face

Few months ago at our women’s study group of Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, one of our ladies shared a special visitation of the Lord in a dream. It was preceded by some struggles the day before, after which she felt God guiding her to completely surrender herself to Him. She felt peace washing over, went to sleep and then just before waking up, she experienced a special, heavenly dream. In the dream, the atmosphere was great, heaven-like and felt like a holiday, it was like a gathering and a fellowship where everyone was enjoying each other’s company. She felt deeply fulfilled, deeply loved, deeply blessed, and did not want to leave; it was like a special flavor of something heavenly. She was allowed to be in the presence of Jesus, although the face she could not see clearly. There were some other women there, too, but she did not experience feelings of jealousy or envy; there was a connection of how great He was, and total acceptance that we are all connected to Him and all have Him in our own way. At the end, she said to Jesus, the way you say to a friend after spending a really nice quality time together: “I am so glad that I met you!” The vision shared at the group ministered heavenly scent to us, and it was also a reminder and a picture of us all nearing to Jesus together.  

Sometime later during the spring, we had a ladies’retreat. We agreed with this sister that we get prepared and spend some time in prayer together at the retreat, longing to experience Jesus in new ways and have some spiritual breakthroughs. After arrival, we took then nearly two hours in His presence and prayer, which went by really fast. I used readings from the “Spirit blessings” by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunther as promptings, to which we both responded in prayer, letting it flow freely and also pressing in regarding things topical for us. Towards the end, I had a feel that Jesus was standing right in midst of us two, and I felt warmth coming from His face towards us. As we later talked, the other sister affirmed the same sense, and she was adding that it was like basking in the light of His face. We both raised our heads as if to catch some tan in the sunlight! It was a special and memorable encounter.

During the month of June, I went to my office at the university pretty often as I was doing a summer course and also some things related to my doctoral studies and articles. On several occasions I took time to worship, using the song “Worthy is the Lamb,” as in my spirit, I was beholding Jesus high lifted up and shining His rays on me. It felt at times that I needed this praise as I need oxygen to breathe. As I praised, I felt strengthened and empowered for the day ahead. And during worship, I was reminded of godly visions that I have had before, which gave me inspiration that exceeded the daily concerns.
Entering into the presence of Jesus is worth fighting for and worth waiting for, to encounter His divine touch. The enemy of our soul would like to steal these moments of glory, even steal the memory of them, and prevent us writing it down and sharing it with others. Jesus is a Person, not just idea, story, or principle. It gives us taste of heaven when in some way, we can grasp the radiance of His face. It brings heaven down on earth and gives us a foretaste of what is to come. We are empowered to overcome and see visions of greater things. As Max Lucado puts it, taking about the face of Jesus, “What would person look like if he had never sinned? If no worry wrinkled his brow and no anger shadowed his eyes? If no bitterness snarled his lips and no selfishness bowed his smile? If a person had never sinned, how would he appear? We’ll know when we see Jesus.” While we cannot see His face clearly yet, but we can choose to draw near to Him and be changed from glory to glory: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (1.Corinthians 3, 17-18)

Mountaintops and valleys of life II

This is the second part of excerpts from my message at Women of encouragement meeting on May 19

Teenage time was mostly a valley experience for me. However, I started to hold on to God, and to seek Him diligently. It was not easy right away, but God sustained me. I got some support from several older Christians. Let me share with you from David Sorensen: “Many heroes in the Bible had to go through really deep trials. David wandered though the desert, running for his life, because a leader tried to kill him, out of jealousy. David developed a deep intimacy with the Lord that made him a true warrior in the spirit and an amazing overcomer. In his weakness and despair he learned to hide in the shelter of the Lord, find rest and strength in HIM, and worship the King of glory with all his might. But he wept at times, he couldn't sleep at times, he was desperate at times, he yelled at God at times, he wanted to die at times... But he kept going back into the presence of the Lord, where he was raised up as a man and a king after God's own heart. Joseph had received amazing promises of becoming a national leader who would bring provision to God's people. But he was also falsely accused, and was thrown in prison. He lived in this devastating situation for years, but remained faithful to the Lord, and learned to stay in intimacy with God. He was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, in the prison and through this severe testing and trial, God transformed him, so he was able to carry the great mantle of anointing and authority God had planned for him. Many of the true men and women of God went through the fire, through the deep waters and often despaired. If your feel this way, don't lose hope. Surrender to Him, know His presence and worship Him, through all things.”

I have shared with you some things from my previous experiences, but surely, ups and downs in life continue. I recently had annoying struggles with working visa documentation. Are you going through difficulties right now? “It may appear that you are hanging on that mountaintop by fingernails, but God will blow you over it! Solutions are on the way, and they may be very near you. God will surprise you, and it will be better than you think!” it was recently said to me by a sister in faith in prayer, and I want to share the same with you if you feel low right now. Relax and let Him carry you through. The best thing we can do in challenges or in the valley is to continue to seek God. If possible, even better if we can start or continue to serve God in a way and place where God is leading us and has gifted us. Under certain severe conditions, it may not always be possible to continue to minister, but we need to keep seeking God. I have done it in my valleys, and He has carried me through. And when we are on the mountaintop, we need not to forget to seek Him. At times, we can have amazing encounters with God and revelations from Him, and we can go on in that burst for some time, and ride that wave, but at certain point, that will lose momentum and we need again to seek Him more deeply to be able to experience and share something new. When we succeed, we need to remember not to get proud, but contribute our talents, success and blessings to God.
We are on a holy journey in this life. Let me share from Max Lucado : “Jesus is urging us to look more to the peak than on the trail. As long as our eyes are on majesty, there is bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on the dirt beneath, and we will grumble about every rock we have to cross.” And in Colosians. 3,2, the Message Bible, it says: “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to the things going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective.” 

Mountaintops and valleys of life I

This is the first part of my message at Women of encouragement meeting on May 19

In life, at times we have sudden and short experiences of ups and downs. I had one last summer at a conference in Italy. My presentation went really well, and I felt on the top of the world. But just after that, my mom informed that my father has thickening in his lungs, which could be a tumor. I felt like dropping down from mountaintop into valley in one instant. Luckily, thank God, later on it turned out to be nothing serious.

There can be also longer periods of mountaintop or valley experiences in our lives. One meaning of mountaintop is associated with happiness, success, and achievement. I would say my childhood mostly felt like mountaintop experience. I remember sun, warmth, nice dresses, feeling pretty and being liked, and being successful at school and at various competitions. Looking back, I think that it was a time when I was discovering talents God has placed in me, I felt special and also felt favor smiling on me. I remember one teacher letting me go home earlier and most other kids staying behind to continue to study for instance. Perhaps that was similar to what Joseph in the Bible experienced – he was a favorite son and had special clothes of many colors. But with that, may come danger of pride or feeling better than others. In our study of womens group by Max Lucado “Experiencing the heart of Jesus”, there was a reminder: “Don’t try to climb the Mount of Messiah, Mount of Applause, and Mount of Self-sufficiency. Quite many have climbed those, only to shout : Mine is the glory!”  - and then lose balance and fall. Kingdom, power and glory is Thine, o God, not mine. A trio of peaks mantled by the clouds. Admire them, applaud them, but don’t climb them.” When we are on maintaintop, we need to remember not to get proud and give glory to God. We need to see our gifts and blessings in the context of building God’s kingdom. And in God’s kingdom, we do not compete, but we build up one another.

In the Bible, mountaintop also refers to being close to God: "Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob." (Psalm 24, 3-6) One this kind of mountaintop experience of being close to God was my exchange study semester in Sweden. I was in a good church, a different kind than I had experienced before. I was touched by the Holy Spirit, felt my spiritual room becoming larger, and I gained more freedom. I took in all new impressions and friendships. God was very close, very near. I got to experience a new and fresh taste of Him. In my early youth, I have been seeking God by climbing on trees and grain containers in countryside, and later, walking on cliffs in Sweden and Finland. It appears as if getting higher physically helps us to get closer to God. But at times, we can take a journey to the mountaintop just in our spirit. Max Lucado puts it this way: “I leave behind the budget, bills, and deadlines and walk the narrow trail up the mountain with Jesus. You’ve been there. You have escaped the sandy foundations of the valley and ascended his grand outcropping of granite. You’ve turned your back on the noise and sought His voice. You’ve stepped away from the masses and followed the Master as He lead you up the winding path to the summit. His summit. Clean air. Clear view. Crisp breeze. The roar of marketplace is down there, and the perspective of the peak is up here. Gently, your guide invited you to sit on the rock above the tree line and look out with Him at the ancient peaks that will never erode. “What is necessary is still what is sure”, He confides, “just remember, “you’ll go nowhere tomorrow that I haven’t already been. Truth will still triumph. Death will still die. The victory is yours And delight is one decision away – seize it.” The sacred summit. A place of permanence in a world of transition.”

Leading women into experiencing Jesus

 

Last December we finished up studying “Breaking Free” by Beth Moore in our women’s group. As I was reflecting on that while being by myself, with the eyes of my spirit I saw our women’s ministry as resting on some pillars, which are not many. They looked like pillars that support structures in Roman or Greek architecture, and I saw that I am one of these pillars. That affected me in a way that I started to take more active attitude and felt authorized by God in doing so. When it was asked who want to lead one of the groups in next term, I approached our leader and said that I would. I was not sure how leading will work out with having own toddler around for meetings, but I felt I need to step up at this point. Despite some hesitation that I felt, there was swelling in my Spirit to contribute certain things that I felt were lacking. I had not been leaning a group on consistent basis since my undergraduate student times. I felt Jesus has done in me a lot in the meantime, and I can now do it in a different quality already. It was my desire to bring the presence of Jesus and spiritual breakthroughs that Jesus wants to see in our women. Out of available materials, I was lead to select “Experiencing the heart of Jesus” by Max Lucado. I felt that this study was suitable for our women in this season and that I can share personally on the subjects touched upon in the study. I have been seriously searching Jesus for years and I had also good supplementary materials from various sources to share from my notebooks.

The days before starting a group were somewhat a struggle, as I wondered how it all will work out. But the first meeting went really well, and we were eight persons in total at first. Later, six of those were the ones attending regularly. We had a nice mix of nationalities – Latvia, UK, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, and USA, and China. While doing the study, ladies found relevant parts of material speaking to them and addressing their needs. When appropriate, I tried to identify some deeper issues or strongholds that the participants have, and then we would spend more time in praying for a particular person in the group under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and saw how that touched them and made difference. Burdens were lifted and more freedom and joy came. I was often feeling pretty spent after these meetings, but I knew that God is at work. About midterm into our study, one of the participants reported wonderful visitation of the Lord in the dream. It ministered heavenly scent to us, joy in Him, as well as need to share that with other women. I saw clearly that this lady is starting to connect with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a new and living way. Also another lady in our group shared a vision that was personally meaningful to her and was very moving to hear. I plan to write a separate blog post about these special encounters a bit later. At times I struggled to keep it together when all of us were present and there were five toddlers around, but overall there was grace to manage these meetings in a meaningful way. Over time, I also needed to learn how to balance vigilance with patience – to accept that some changes do not occur right away and that God may have own timing in bringing breakthroughs to women. We powered through the ten lessons of the study, each consisting of material for 5 days at a pretty high speed and intensity during the spring term of 2017.
Towards the end of our study, as I reviewed one of my notebooks, I found prophesy I had written down after prayer conference with Michael Kimuli in Turku, Finland, which happened before my moving to China. I had somehow forgotten it, but after reading it written out, I got further assurance that I am on the right track. It said: “The Lord is sending you to China for a ministry. I see many disciples following you. You will be like Ruth, and you will be satisfied.” I could see how I have stepped into fulfillment of this prophesy lately, and I do feel satisfaction. We are planning to continue with “To live is Christ” by Beth Moore in the autumn term. 

Caring for others

This is the final part of my address at ladies’ retreat in Dongshan on April 28

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21, 15-17)

Here we see a dialogue between Jesus and Peter, when He asks if Peter loves Him more than others. First thing that is obvious from this is that not everyone loves Jesus the same; some love Him more than others. There are many ways to show love to Jesus. I once heard a preacher is buying a rose for Jesus and then worships Him. I like to burn incense as sweet fragrance for Jesus when I pray. But one important way to show love for Jesus is taking care of other believers. Because we are here and take active part in things of God, there is a big chance we are the ones who love Him more than others. But with that, there comes responsibility given by Jesus: “Feed my lambs. Take care of My sheep. Feed my sheep.”

Let’s hear the spirit blessings by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunther again: “Spirit, your Father has a purpose for you. I bless you with being everything God designed you to be. As you fulfill your purpose, you will benefit, others will benefit, and the world will be blessed. I bless you with knowing the things your Father has called you to know and doing the things He has called you to do. I bless you with being able to carry out God’s work with honor, peace and joy. I bless you with not wasting time or effort doing things God has not called you to do. I celebrate the beauty God has nurtured in you. I bless you in the name of Creator God. Spirit, your culture is yearning and crying out for something more than religion or churchliness – the legitimate powerful presence of God. I bless you with desperate hunger and thirst for bringing the manifest glory of God to your community. I bless you with vision and anointing to see what is necessary to prepare the way. I bless you with seeing outside your religious traditions. I bless you with ability to sing the song of gospel in a different key, doing no harm to the Word or message that must remain unchanged. I bless you in the name of the glory of Israel.”

Cared for by Jesus

This is the third part of my address at ladies’retreat in Dongshan on April 28.

"Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead." (John 21, 12-14)

In this part of passage, we see that Jesus cared for his disciples in practical and tangible way by cooking their breakfast. It must have been wonderful to enjoy fish roasted on fire after long night out fishing. Jesus cares for each one of us personally as well. We need to be cared for by Jesus if we are to serve others effectively. I used to think that Jesus fulfills mainly my spiritual needs, and emotional needs are fulfilled by other people. Over the years, however, I have increasingly come to rely on Him to fulfill my emotional needs also. Let me give you an example. Once I took great effort to match my outfit for a special occasion, but nobody complimented or took a picture. I am not saying we should get compliments every time. I have myself not always been mindful to compliment others. However, it was a special need in my heart that night, which I was aware of and recognized. I turned to Jesus with this need and waited to hear His words of appreciation in my heart. And they came, some from the Song of Songs, and something extra, which was personal and connecting to my need. At times, a day or two passes without word of appreciation, compliment, or a warm hug, but I hear those words I need to hear from Jesus, I see Him embracing and encouraging me when people around me fail to do so. We need this kind of strong bond with Jesus to be stable and consistent in our walk and not to run dry.

Let me read again now from “Spirit blessings” by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunther: “Spirit, I bless you with a deep heart identity as God’s very own child, securely loved in His family, calling Him “Abba, dear Father.” I bless you with a settled assurance that He has a future and a hope for you for your best interests and His ultimate glory. I bless you with a deep knowledge that your Abba knows what you need and has all the resources of the universe to meet your needs. I bless you with confidence that you lack nothing you need in any way. I bless you with certainty that you are an heir with your brother Jesus to all your Father’s treasures. I bless you in the name of the Spirit of sonship. Spirit, I bless you with experiencing your Father’s faithfulness, His faithful love toward you, for your emotions to be aware, to know, to savor, to feel, to relish the love your Father expresses toward you. I bless you with experiencing it so often that you can never doubt your Father’s love. I bless you with no anxiety in the present, because God has spoken so richly in the past. I bless you with knowing that He will speak again at the right time and at the right place. I bless you with seeing so much of His protection that you will trust Him implicitly. I bless you in the name of your Eternal Dwelling Place.”

Supernatural opportunities and endurance II

This is the second part of my address at ladies’ retreat in Dongshan on April 28

Let us continue to read from the gospel of John: “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.” (John 21, 7-11)　

Interestingly, after they had a big catch, now there was another problem - the net was stretched almost to the point of breaking. Together with a supernatural catch, however, came a supernatural endurance of the net for pulling fish out. We may at times be stretched, too, when ministry opportunities widen and more people come. Also, this verse shows that it is not enough to catch the fish, we need to pull them out, otherwise we may lose them and they start to swim away again. Likewise, it is not enough that people accept Jesus as their Savior, we need to disciple them and pull them out to safety, and that can be stretching. I have been blessed with seven women and five toddlers in my group, but at times we all were present, it was difficult to keep it all together. Sometimes I came despite being tired or my little one not being totally well. Some of us were feeling stretched before our big Christmas and Easter events. But this verse encourages us that God can supernaturally sustain us so we are able to handle the opportunities that open up for us. We may feel torn or breaking for many other reasons such as challenges in the family or personal issues. I recently felt overwhelmed, but was strengthened by the reminder that spirit part in us needs to rule the soul. I felt chaotic and irritated, but experienced peace and alignment once I called forth my spirit to take control of my being.

Let us hear again the words from the “Spirit blessings” by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunther: “Spirit, as much as you are loved, you have experienced pain. You are part of a great battle against the enemy of Most High God. I bless you with the ability to have joy that transcends pain. I bless you with a clear picture of what is before you, the thing that God has called you to do, so you can endure the pain to get there. The enemy will magnify the pain and cause you to focus on it, but I bless you with being aware of the joy set before you. I bless you with sufficient understanding of that joy so you will not count the cost but will pay the price. I bless you in the name of Jesus, who is the prize. Spirit, I bless you with waking up every morning knowing that the living God is sustaining, strengthening, and renewing you for the opportunities and problems He sets before you today. I bless you with the assurance of inner quiet, security, and strength, not only for each day, but for as long as God chooses your lifetime to be. I bless you with meeting Him daily spirit to Spirit. I bless you with doing nothing by mere human effort. I bless you with being energized with the life of eternity upon all that you are and think and do. I bless you in the name of the Spirit of life. You are the apple of the eye of the Ancient of days. He cares for you. He is grooming you for triumph, not just survival.” 

Supernatural opportunities and endurance I

This is the first part of my address at ladies’retreat in Dongshan on April 28

One evening as I was preparing for our study on the heart of Jesus, I read the passage in John 21: 1-17 and was feeling God spoke to me in a special way some things that are relevant for our whole team of committed Christians, those serving and leaders who we are mostly gathered here. Interestingly, the time setting in the passage is after resurrection, and we are also now in the aftermath of our Easter celebrations, so I feel this passage is very relevant. I saw four important reminders for us in part of scriptures. Firstly, Jesus can show the right strategy for better result. Secondly, with supernatural opportunities comes God-given endurance to keep it together. Thirdly, Jesus cares for us personally and in practical and tangible ways. Fourthly and finally, those who love Jesus more are given task to care for other believers. Let us read the first portion of this passage:

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” (John 21, 1-6)

Firstly, I want to start off by saying that in scripture, fishing also refers to sharing good news with other people; Jesus said that He will make us fishers of men. Just as He cared for disciples in this passage, He cares how we are doing on ministry, whether it is going well or difficult, and He is standing ready to advise and help. He is wants to show us the right strategy – a little thing, done under Jesus’ leadership, can make much difference, such as throwing nets on the other side of the boat. We need to ask Jesus to show us the right way to reach people. We have discussed the challenge of approaching people at times and that for some, Christianity may have some stigma. I believe that Jesus can show us what can make difference in this. The same goes for various other challenges we face. I recently had a disappointment of not getting a scholarship I had high hopes for. At times despite effort, we struggle to get results we want.

Let us hear the words of blessing as written by Arthur Bruk and Sylvia Gunter. Beloved sisters, I call your spirits to the front to hear God’s blessings for you today: “Spirit, you were designed by your Father to face problems and solve them, not just escape them. I bless you with rejoicing in each one, instead of complaining and turning back. I bless you with perseverance to dig in His word to solve problems, as if you are looking for gold, silver, and jewels. I bless you with having the mind of Christ, so you can see things from His perspective and solutions others can’t see. May you have God’s wisdom to embrace His solutions, even if they seem painful, and nobody has ever walked that way before. I bless you in the name of the God of impossible. Spirit, I bless you with going to the Word of God and seeing specific promises He has made to you, standing on them, and savoring the joy, security, and excitement that comes when your Father answers your prayers based on His specific promises. I bless you with realizing that when God calls you to battle, He will be there with you and for you, and victory will lie in His hand, not your expertise or resources. I bless you with experiencing God’s pleasure in who you are and how he sees you now and tomorrow.” 

Intensity of Christ’s love

When I was a child, there were some times when my parents went to church and took me along. At a time, in the Lutheran church of my hometown, in addition to altar painting that featured the baptism of Jesus, there was a painting of crucifixion on the left side wall of the church. The painting was in dark colors and even there was just a little blood visible, I was scared of it and turned my head to the other side as we passed it by. When I grew up in, I often heard sayings such as “that is his cross to carry” talking of illness or a difficult family member. Also, people would say that one needs to avoid to give names which would contains some part of words ‘cross’ or ‘Christ,’ because then it was believed that one needs to carry the cross all of his life. I think these sayings at times show that people have not understood the deeper meaning of the cross of Christ and got stuck in the darkness of that moment of crucifixion. They look at the whole event like through a dark glass, similar as one used to look at sun during eclipse. It feels as if the suffering of Jesus has no purpose, no resolution. 

I am not sure if you can relate in any way to these childhood memories that I shared. Suffering is certainly part of life, at times we may fear it, and we cannot deny it. There was certainly darkness, fear and death when Jesus was crucified, and it was because he was cursed for us. “Like one from whom people hide their faces， he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53, 4-6) Without understanding the reason Jesus died and applying it personally, His death seems senseless martyrdom. Or, we may be so used to see crosses that it leaves us indifferent. Perhaps at times it is something too intense and overwhelming, hard to take in, and we rather look away? A Finnish Christian friend of mine told me that she is watching the movie “Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson every Easter to remind herself of what Jesus has done for her. I feel for me, to see this movie few times was already enough, as it felt quite intense and I am perhaps also quite sensitive to unpleasant sights. I rather like to remember the sacrifice of Jesus by having the holy supper often, also at home. Jesus finished the holy supper by saying: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22,19) The ways in which we will practice remembering and valuing His sacrifice may differ, and I think that is fine. I have been wondering though at times why I rather would turn away from intense sights and feelings associated with crucifixion, and I am not alone in that. It is overwhelming for quite many, for instance, I have heard this question: “Why there has to be blood?” 

There is a theological answer to this question, namely, that there is life in the blood and there is no forgiveness without blood, but I will not go deeper into this here. Few different kind of answers recently came through our current study book at women’s group “Experiencing the heart of Jesus” by Max Lucado. There, author shares, for instance, this way: “I put my hand on the shoulder of my eight year old daughter and said: “Sara, you’re something special. Someday some hairy-legged boy is going to steal your heart and sweep you into the next century. But right now, you belong to me.” She smiled tolerantly and said: “Daddy, why are you acting so weird?” The love of a parent falls awkwardly on the ears of child. My burst of emotion was beyond her. But that did not keep me from speaking. There is no way our little minds can comprehend the love of God. But that didn’t keep Him from coming.” And further, Max Lucado also says: “It wasn’t right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth. God sat in silence while the sins of the world were placed upon His Son. And He did nothing while a cry echoed in the black sky:“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Was it fair? - No. Was it love? - Yes. All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. But the Creator gave no command. “It must be done,” He said and withdrew. The angel spoke: “It would be less painful…” The Creator interrupted softly: “But it wouldn’t be love.” 

Walking in the newness of life, part III

This is the final part of my speech at women's Easter celebration in Suzhou on March 25. 

I will now read meditation on the meaning and implications of Jesus' love for us and the words of God as spoken through David Sorensen (more materials like this can be found at website http://godisreal.com/). Let us receive these words as coming from Jesus to you personally: 

I love you. I love you. I love you so, so, so much. I love you with a love that is amazing, with the love that is incredible, with the love that you cannot comprehend with your human mind. You will need eternity to realize the depth, the height, the width of my love for you. My love is too much, is too great, is too powerful. I am so full of compassion to you. Look at Me, what did I do? I died for you, I gave my life for you. I died on the cross for you. I allowed the darkness to have a go at Me, because I love you. I did not do it for any other reason, there is no other reason I hang there. Nobody understood what was happening. I gave everything I am, everything I have, because I love you. I did not do it for any kind of religious reason, but because I want to save you, I want to heal you, because I want to transform you, I want to release you into the glory of my love for you. There is nothing in my heart that wants you to be burdened, there is nothing in my heart that wants you to live under heavy yokes of any sort of oppression. I did not come to this world to bring you burdens.

I came to set you free. I made you brand new when you believed in Me. So step out of this cage, step out of these chains. They are loosened, they are broken, they have no power over you. And be free. Live freely, live and love as the child of the Most High God of heaven and earth. Live and sing for Me. Because it is a new day, it is a new life for you. Come and have fun, in this life. Cast off that dark cloak that has covered your heart and mind and see my love for you. When you are abandoned, when you are lonely, when you feel misunderstood, when you are in ruins of your life, when you struggle to walk in the world that doesn’t give you the warmth you so desperately need, when you cry and nobody understands why, only love can do a miracle that no one else can do. I am that love, says Jesus. My love will never leave you, my love is always with you. My love goes out to you. In Me, you will find strength to overcome and break through.

Let us pray. Let us bow our heads and be silent and still for a bit as we contemplate this love letter and what it means for our lives.  Jesus, meet everyone here, move in our midst by your Holy Spirit and help us to really receive your love. 

Walking in the newness of life, part II

This is the second part of my speech at women's Easter celebration in Suzhou on March 25. 

Jesus died for our sins, and while it is crucial to accept it and we need to appreciate it, I think it is so important to also go ahead and use what He paid for and live in the fullness of life He provided. I feel we need to move beyond His crucifixion to His resurrection and to embrace all He wants to give to us. While we will often see the image of the cross with Christ on it, we live at a time when Jesus is not hanging at the cross anymore: “He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, by God’s power we will live with him.” (2.Corinthians13, 3-4) In real time right now, He is risen and at the right hand of the Father. All power and glory is given to Him. And if we believe in Him, He lives in us through His Holy Spirit. How do you see Jesus? Is He weak in your eyes, the one still hanging on the cross? Or is He the One who has power - power to change your life?

After we have accepted Him, we have everything necessary to walk in the newness of life. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6,4) His resurrection shows we do not need to be afraid of death any more, as He promises to resurrect us too and prepare a mansion in heaven for us. Knowing this can transform the way we live and help us overcome any obstacles we are facing. For fear of death is at the root of all fears we have in life: ^“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15) Isn’t it wonderful to be freed from the mother of all fears, fear of death? Through Jesus, we are liberated to walk in the newness of life, where the power of darkness, fear, and death has been overcome.  "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." (John 7, 38) “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10, 10) As in the song, we can then say - because He lives, we can face tomorrow and all our fear is gone. Is all darkness is your life overcome by the light of His resurrection moment? Or is something still hidden in the dark and holds you in fear?

I want to turn your attention now back to the beautiful backdrop that we have. Here the stone has been rolled away from the entrance and one is free to see the beautiful view and to go out of the dark cave. I want to ask you – is there a stone pressing heavily on your heart today? Maybe you have tried to remove it by yourself, but it has not been successful? Jesus was lying in the tomb for three days and then rose again. As we know from the events described in the Bible, God sent angels to earth to remove the stone from the entrance of the tomb. It took a supernatural power of God to remove the stone from the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. Do not struggle in your own strength with that which suppresses you. This one most likely is too big to handle by yourself. Surrender it to the Lord today and He will help you to get out from heaviness you are under.

Have you been in a place where you even got tired to pray about certain matter? Is there something that has been pressing you for years? I have had this experience. However, pretty recently as I came with that before the Lord, like – here we go again… - He took me by surprise. In my spirit, I suddenly saw myself riding on a horse in great freedom and laughing - laughing for joy. I realized I can have great joy and freedom in Him and that is what I have been created for, instead of being suppressed under unresolved issues.

Once after a difficult talk with a family member, it was late at night and I knew I will not be able to sleep right away. I needed some comfort, so I decided to watch some uplifting youtube videos. I came across one with a song –“There is life” from Disney’s Bambi 2. It showed how under the thick cover of snow, there is vegetation coming up even before you see it. I come from Latvia and have lived in Finland for a long time, and there is a lot of snow, so for me it was a powerful analogy. Let me share the lyrics, as I feel they also have great relevance for our topic today:

“Under the snow, beneath the frozen streams, there is life /You'll have to know when nature sleeps she dreams, there is life / And the colder the winter, the warmer the spring, the deeper the sorrow / the more our hearts sing / Even when you can't see it inside everything, there is life/ And all that we dream of awaits patently, there is life.”

God used this song to give me hope that there is life in that person’s spirit and our relationship even if from surface I could not see that in this conversation. Right now you may feel your dreams are dead, or a certain relationship is dead. But there is potential of life there. When Jesus raised up girl from the dead, He was saying: “Have faith. Believe. She is only sleeping.” He brought peace and joy to a home where fear, desperation, and grief reigned. Jesus is ready to provide for you, wherever in your life you need hope for the newness of life. He can resurrect your dead dream or dead relationship.

Is there a hope for newness of life through Jesus awakening in your heart right now?