Hello Brothers, Sisters, and Heartdwellers family. When the enemy hits, he usually hits you all at once and on all sides. I have shared with you guys how I have been dealing with some fires around me, personal, interrelational, and then a similar situation happened in the community just left me angry, disappointed, and hurting adding on to the burden I was under.
After prayer, Jesus immediately began,
“Your heart is a storm-tossed ocean, My beloved little one. I need you to be still and know that I am God. I am in control and have you and all situations in the palm of My hands. You are under attack and so is this little flock of yours. I want you to be more sensitive to the inspirations, instructions, and counsel I give to others to be given to you. Do not dismiss them or any dream or word shared with you because you all are one body. In this family each person has different gifts I have brought to this group, and it’s always a part of the bigger picture. There are things you will not catch or blind spots you don’t see that I will reveal to your children and those around you not only to humble you but also for you all to work in union together. You need each other. All of you. Although you are scattered in different parts of the world, you all need each other.“
Yeah, family, one of the priests reached out to me about two weeks ago and said, the Lord gave her a word that our faith was going to be tested in some way and the antidote would be humility and brotherly love. When she told me these things, our group was running smoothly so I didn’t take it as [being] serious. But now some of us are in the fire with various situations and I realize the word she had was right and I should’ve heeded the Lord’s forewarning through her.
Jesus continued,
“Check up on them individually often and I want the group to check up on one another, be open to one another, hide nothing. I have brought you here because this is a family you can trust. It is not perfect, but brotherly love reigns in the center of this family. Why? Because I Am the center of this family and in all that they do. Do not fear loving or fear receiving love, My little one.
“I want to talk to My brides about this very thing. Wounds incurred by the church or as you would call it “church hurt”. There have been many of you who have been hurt by the church institutions and by Christians whom you called friends. You went into a congregation having expectations of finally being loved, understood, supported, and built up, but rather you found infighting, gossip, judging, criticizing posturing, and politics. You were scorned by those who didn’t understand you and you were ruthlessly judged and rejected for your weakness and failures which further made you close off and not open up to anyone. You looked around thinking who can I really trust? Share, My little one, about your experience in the community.“
Well, a situation arose here in the community with a soul whom I went to for counsel. I shared my burdens with them and even apologized for my attitude because of the burdens I was feeling. Then I got called in for a meeting as it was shared that the Lord had brought up to this soul that many things were disordered in the community and mentioned some of the very things I shared with them privately the day before. I felt so disappointed because it had happened so many times in different situations, and I felt my confidence in sharing with this soul was gone, and I had feelings of betrayal again. I knew the enemy got in because I was seething with anger and ultimately confessed my sin of pride, anger, and resentment. It made me want to shut down, not open my heart anymore and put a guard up again. I know that is not what the Lord wanted. Then during worship, He played a song called “Church People” by Jonathan McReynolds — so on point as I realized I was holding on to “church hurt” — being wounded by those in the Body of Christ. I needed the Lord to really deliver me from this and give me the grace to make excuses, especially for my Christian brothers and sisters if they ever wounded me again rather than allowing the injuries to hurt so deeply that they stop me from loving and forgiving as I should. There was another soul in the group going through this and I began to realize I am not the only one who needs healing.
Then Mother Clare pulled this Rhema after this incident to share with the community and it said,
One day Our Lord Jesus Christ said to Brother Leo, a companion of blessed Francis:
“I have regrets regarding the brothers”
“Why Lord?”
“For three reasons.
First, because they are not grateful for the blessing that I give them generously every day by procuring their nourishment without their having to sow or reap. Secondly, because they complain all day long and do nothing. Thirdly, because they provoke each other to anger and do not return to charity, and do not forgive the injuries they have received”
Ouch, I knew that was for me.
Jesus continued,
“What I want you to realize, My brides, not one part of My body is perfect, no not one, until I return. Then My brides will be made perfect, for now, the Church is being purified. In all denominations, you will find forms of rancor, division, misunderstanding, and souls filled with self-love and self-seeking from the most solitary monastery to the catholic, orthodox, and evangelical church, and even in small church groups. So no family is perfect. However, the ones who endure are the ones who are being perfected in brotherly love and quick to truly forgive offenses. You were never meant to put your hope and expectations on others. Even the dearest and sincerest of believers will disappoint you, that is human nature. But what will be your response? Will you shut down, will you close off, or worse hold into bitterness and resentment?”
As an aside when I went to confession, my confessor walked me through a guided meditation to enter into the garden of my heart and they asked what I saw. I saw among the beautiful garden this black tree stump that had a few small branches growing from the stump. I could see the roots of the tree trunk went deep down in the depths of my heart — they were big, black, and twisted. I then knew every wound I incurred produced a seed of bitterness which grew roots and had twisted itself to create this big tree stump in the garden of my heart..Ulck!
“There are far too many bitter Christians who have held on to the resentment of past wounds incurred in the church or among other Christians. You see bitterness causes you to become a walking wounded soul and many times those who hurt you are hurt themselves. You don’t realize you then become just like the ones who hurt you because when bitterness takes root in your heart it begins to skew your perspective, harden your heart, smother your flame, and cool the fire of your love towards your brothers and sisters and ultimately towards Me. You are quick to lash out, be irritated, agitated, impatient, and down allowing the enemy to hit you where it hurts — using another to strike you in the same place you have been wounded with false accusations, misunderstanding, or offense. The seed now begins to grow into a root, a bitter root, and My brides, all of you still have bitter roots I want you to deal with. Some are more apparent than others. Ask me to show you these bitter roots in your heart and allow Me to help you to cut them down once and for all and uproot any other seeds that have been planted in the garden of your heart.
I am calling My brides to holiness so that means a greater degree of humility. I am allowing and will continue to allow all manner of tests and trials for the demons to sift you, to buffet you — not to destroy you — but to purify you. For it is in the wounding that I can come in and do a deep healing. Don’t you see My hand in each trial, in each frustration, and in each humiliation? Thank Me for it instead and be smarter than the devils. Do not fight with your brother or sister, contend in your heart, or think ill of anyone please do not do that. Stop in your tracks when those thoughts creep up even if the soul has done the same offense a million times, do not find fault with your brother.
Rather see it as a stronghold that the enemy is using to cause them to harm others or a fault that they don’t see — and pray for them instead and love them. If it’s an evil spirit influencing someone to cause pain or harm I will let you know so you know how to pray more effectively, but the greatest weapon against division, strife, and offense is brotherly love and making excuses for that person. The devils are very clever to set up traps to hit you all at once. So a situation happens the day before, another in the morning, and another in the evening with different souls. When you recognize you are being hit on all sides, stop and recognize, ‘wait this is an attack upon Me and these souls’. Refuse to come in agreement with Satan’s lies, renounce His influence over them and you and declare your love and commitment to Me and to them despite the offense. Ask Me to heal your heart and theirs as well. He will lose every time. My beloved ones, pray for one another and pray for this little group of yours against division, offense, and rejection. They want to scatter you all, but I won’t allow it as long as you Love one another as I have loved you.
I do want you to take that three-day retreat, Beloved, it is very much needed. It will be a time of refreshing for you and Me. Deep healing and a change of perspective that you will be strengthened by My grace and love to persevere in the demands of this life and gracefully carry all the responsibilities given to you and love the children and the souls I have given to you and those who are still coming. I love you My brides, strength, and healing is on the way. Persevere in love, I share your sufferings with you.”
That was the end of Jesus’ message.
SONG: CHURCH PEOPLE
Jonathan McReynolds
Feat. Mike Todd & The Walls Group
Child, I feel you – and the truth is
That hurt people hurt people
But God is going to deliver you from people
(Please, Lord)
Every person who disappointed you
The ones who damaged your perspective
Today, you’re letting ‘em go
God says I want you to trade Me
Trade Me your sorrow, trade Me the pain
(Please, Lord)
And I want to give you joy
This is the moment,
You gotta let them go
(Please, Lord)
I know it’s hard – and I know it’s painful
(Please, Lord)
But God’s future for you is bigger than any relational failure
So I’m letting it go (Please, Lord)
I’m giving it up (Please, Lord)
I’m releasing (Please, Lord)
And I’m not gonna be held back by all of these
(Please, Lord)
[Chorus: The Walls Group & Pastor Mike Todd]
When the thoughts of (Please, Lord) the pressures of (Please, Lord)
I wanna be free from (Please, Lord) my God (Please, Lord)
Everything (Please, Lord) that society says (Please, Lord)
Here and right now (Please, Lord)
I choose to forgive (Please, Lord)
Please heal, touch, Lord (Please, Lord)
Please heal your (Please, Lord) brokenhearted (Please, Lord)
And I will bring the love (Please, Lord) ‘
Cause there’s still (Please, Lord) Oh-oh-oh-oh,
So deliver me From people
[Outro: Jonathan McReynolds]
They are the best and the worst you’ve created (Please, Lord)
Amen