Every young girl has dreamed of a prince charming, and maybe every guy has dreamed of being a knight in shining armor. I think those images have been embedded in our little psyches. But it’s all foreshadowing! What if at the end of time that is what our Bridegroom becomes!

All our lives longing for him to swoop us up from all social stations — whether we live lavishly in the highest strata of society or we eke out a living in the lowest– that disparity never dampened our dream.

Isn’t that amazing? That such a dream is so etched within us that nothing can shake it.? Even if we marry someone who is less than we envision, that dream is still there! I believe that is so because there is a greater reality of that dream! It transcends imagination, time and space. It came from the One who will make it true!

One day the eastern sky will violently separate, a Phantom Figure will appear hailing from the courts of eternity, and the Bride of Messiah will be in for a wild ride!!!

Where are we going? It doesn’t matter. He will be there!!!

It will be an event greater than the sum total of all of our imaginings put together!

At that point, the memory of the dream will merge with the reality of its truth!

Our hearts will melt in His presence!

Our eyes will be filled with the wonder of it all!

Our emotions will be overcome with the dashing rescue!

A secret mountain chateau, a white beach and clear blue waters; a cottage along a European landscape will not compare to the plans our Prince Charming has prepared for us!

And the banquet table, feasting on indescribable food . . . all while basking in the deeply eternal satisfying nature of His presence!

It’s time to connect with our dream — that is one dream that is sure to come true!!!!!! I am awaiting the wild ride!

“Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before“ (Joshua 3:4)

In this context, Joshua gives the Israelites the guidelines for crossing the Jordan River. He says . . .

• The priests carrying the Ark would move out into the midst of the flood waters of the Jordan River.
• When the people saw this, they should move out into the waters as well.
• They were to keep their eyes upon the Ark.
• They were to keep a thousand yards away from the Ark as they crossed.

Then he says something simple but profound:
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.

• This group of Israelites had never had Joshua as their leader.
• They had never crossed a body of water. (The group who crossed the Red Sea all died in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua.)
• This group had never seen priests step out into a body of water.
• They had never seen floodwaters defy nature, roll away, and then stand upright,
• Or walk across a riverbed on dry land.

This was a new experience for them. They had never been that way before, and historically, they would never be at that place again.

Think about where you are now. You will NEVER be in this situation again. Savor the moment. That’s what I believe the Israelites did; they captured the moment. They . . .

• Let the wind sweeping back the waters of the Jordan caress their faces.
• Felt the firmness of the dry ground under their feet.
• Watched the fearless priests step out into the Jordan at flood season, not sure of what would happen;
• Saw the men lift large boulders from the dry river bed and take them to the plush banks of the Jordan.
• Captured Joshua as he stacked twelve additional boulders in the midst of the river where the priests stood.
• Experienced the adrenaline rush as they hurried to the other side, their eyes always upon the Ark.
• They remembered the priests leaving the Jordan, approaching their side of the river banks.
• They beheld the waters that had stood up vertically now rushing to its horizontal position in the river bed;
• And they were drenched in the spray of the returning waters.

They had never been that way before, nor would they ever again.

If you were laid off today, tomorrow’s experience will be totally different from today’s — even though you may still be without a job. Be like the Israelites and . . .

• Remember what it is like to trust him when you can’t trust yourself.
• Experience God, who never forsakes the righteous, bring you through.

If you have lost a loved one, each day without that person will be totally different.

• Be comforted in the arms of The Father of Compassion who is touched with our infirmities.
• Feel him bear the load with you, making each day lighter.

PRAYER: Abba, help us to capture the moment of our trial so that we can relish the moment of our victory! Forgive us for seeing obstacles as JUST obstacles and not as opportunities for you to be glorified and our faith developed. Let us capture every once-in-a-lifetime uncrossable Jordan in our lives and REALLY LIVE in the moment of our passage! YOU always go before us, and then YOU always beckon us to come! THEN, let us come! Amen!

LIKE ANYONE WHO FOCUSES on his/her own weakness, I am sure that at times you have felt that you just could not make it!

Or maybe that you were too inadequate to even conquer the things set before you, even the little things.

Moses was at that same place. He had led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of God, but felt he was not able to lead them further. Here are his numerous complaints in Numbers 11:11-15 NIV:

• “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?”
• “What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?”
• “Did I conceive all these people?”
• “Did I give them birth?”
• “Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors?”
• “Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’”
• “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”
• “If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

The Lord, however, sees the potential in Moses because HE PUT THAT POTENTIAL IN HIM! He tells him to call the 70 elders and bring them forth. He declares,

“I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone” (Numbers 11:17).

Notice that He took the spirit that was upon Moses. He specifically tells Moses that what He was taking and sharing was what was already inside/upon him!  What the Lord had put upon Moses was enough to share among 70 others. Incredible!!!!

Let’s stop doubting what is in us!

• What God has put upon un/in us is enough to fuel a team!
• It is enough to empower a family!
• It is enough, I believe, to set a generation ablaze with a zeal for the return of the King!

PRAYER: Abba, thank you for seeing the potential in us long before we do. Thank you for your patience for the day you open our eyes and we see that amazing power that is within us — that same power that raised Yeshua from the dead! Yeshua generously shared with us the power of HIS Spirit. Let us, as liberally, share that power with others — IGNITING OTHERS TO SERVICE. Amen!

“I’m a mother,” a friend said to me, “I want my estranged sons to be reconciled. It has been a deep longing of my heart for years. Why, then, when my older son made a gesture to forgive his little brother did I realize that their reconciliation had not really been a spoken prayer, but a deep desire of my heart? But God answered it!” she added.

The answer is really a simple one, as this mother concluded. God not only SEES our hearts but he GIVES us the desires of our hearts.

It was God Himself who said, “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24 NASB).

What’s on your heart today?

• Is it too hurtful even to speak it?
• Is it something that if spoken would challenge your faith to believe God for?
• Is it something that you want so badly, but you can’t see any way of it coming to pass?

Keep trusting the One who says that before you even call, he will answer you! If it is a desire you cannot utter, it is okay. God answers those prayers too. After all, He gave us Holy Spirit for that reason also: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26 KJV).

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the gift of Your Spirit. There are groans deep within me! Groans of something that has been tearing me apart. I surrender it to you and trust you to bring it to a resolve in your own timing. You’re pretty amazing to care about the unutterable that is on my heart and then to hear me and answer me EVEN before I call. Yes, pretty amazing! Thank you so much for your attention to me! In Yeshua‘s Name! Amen!

Enjoy this song “Better Than a Hallelujah” by Amy Grant. The essential meaning of this song is so relevant to this blog: (Please click to skip the ad if it comes up!)

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Is God speaking?

He certainly is!

Is He speaking to you?

Yep!

Is He asking of you more than you have the natural ability to do?

Without a doubt!

Case in point: MOSES.

Moses was asked by God to go the GREATEST NATION at the time, to the MOST POWERFUL LEADER in the known world, and say to him simply, “Let my people go.” Then Moses was supposed to LEAD 3 MILLION PEOPLE out of Egypt to the mountain where he had met God. Tough job description for an 80-year-old man! Moses thought so too! That’s why he had his LIST OF EXCUSES for not doing it.

Let’s look at some of his excuses. They might sound familiar! Mind you, I am paraphrasing, but check out the Scriptures for a more exact wording.

“Who am I, God, that you would use me like that?” (Exodus 3:11)

ANSWER: You’re a vessel! You are one who is prone to wandering with a tendency toward disobedience. You are sinner saved by grace. AND you are the one whom the Lord has chosen, despite all your frailties, to bring forth his purposes.

“Forget about who I am, God! But who are You!? What if they ask me about You? Who are You? I don’t even know your Name!” (3:13)

I understand Moses’ question! You must know the One who is sending you. Adonai says something so amazing to Moses! A life-changer indeed! He says, “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew me as El Shaddai! They did not know me as the way I am about to reveal myself to you! ‘I AM!’ I AM and WILL BE everything you need me to be. Watch me be a Deliverer! Watch me be a Nurturer! Watch me be a Redeemer! Watch me be a Father! Watch me be a WayMaker! Watch me be GOD! I AM THAT I AM!

“What if they think I’m crazy!? They will surely tell me, ‘The Lord did not appear to you!’ “ (4:1)

When the Lord gives you a vision, He will definitely appear to you — whether through a dream, a dream, a sensation. And you may appear crazy to most! You cannot allow the enemy to make you think that God didn’t really speak to you. So yes, the enemy may tell you God didn’t speak to you! He may even use family — spiritual and natural — to make you doubt that you have heard from Him, but you must know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has spoken.

“Lord, I can’t even talk that well! But you want me to talk!! And to the President???” (4:10)

Yes, he wants you to open your mouth wide so that He can fill it! He wants the President to know that God uses the base things of this world to confound the wise. He wants you to go so that the President will see that this is not really you but someone much bigger than you and way bigger than the President.

“Lord, just send someone else!” (4:13)

Been there! Done that! This is the kind of pride that we need to renounce! If you have ever said this, you are telling God that you know better than He does. You are telling him that he’s not even God! Father, deliver us from such pride, even when we don’t understand.

“Tell me why you think that the President will listen to me?” (4:13)  “I tried it out on my congregation and they didn’t even listen.”

He will listen because when the Spirit of God bears up the man of God to deliver the word of God, people will listen with attentive ears! Even if they don’t hear, they will listen! Why do you think Pharoah did not try to have Moses killed!? The man heard and listened but his pride was too great!

PRAYER: Father, we have used so many excuses to get out of what you have called us to do! Thank you for Moses that in his humanity he did the same thing — come us with excuses. But what really matters is that Moses got past his excuses and accomplished what You told him to do. Thank you for being patient with us, Lord! Forgive our vanity and pride and lack of perception. Help us to know You and see You! When we do, we know that if you send us, we can walk into the room of the most powerful man in the world and declare your Word and you will back it up! Amen.

“The Gift of Hunger”

When I taught my high school English students to analyze poetry, I always asked them to explain the author’s purpose in writing the poem. What was his/her intent?

Invariably they would respond . . .

• “How do we know?”
• “We weren’t with him when he wrote it.”
• “He’s dead now.”
• “How will we ever know?”

Even my suggestions of what I felt the author meant were met with “He could have meant something totally different!”

“That is true,” I explained, “but this is not something I made up. My suggestions are sound because I have done something you have not done.

“I have studied his life! You won’t know the author’s purpose if you don’t know the author.”

“Read as much about the author as possible,” I told them! “Then you can understand his motivation, his intent. Then you can understand his diction (word choice), his tone, his message!”

As you study the Word of God this year, I encourage you to get to know the Author. Every word that He spoke is an avenue into His heart. Every phrasing, a sliver of His mind. Every nuance of language, a facet of His personality! This is what Jeremiah the prophet said:

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight (Jer. 15:16)

The same one who said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) also said, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8). What did He mean? What was His intent? What is His purpose?

I pray that this year God will give you the gift of hunger for His words more than ever . . . that it will be the Author of the words that you yearn to know and love! Read His words! Watch movies about his life! Get into exciting Bible studies and prayer meetings! Read books by people who practice His presence! Saturate your mind with as much of Him as possible! Such a hunger will give purpose to your life, and passion to your pursuits!

PRAYER: Abba, that’s our prayer in 2013! Give us the gift of hunger for your words! As we desire your words, unfold your nature to us so that we will know your purpose and all that you want us to know. As your words come, let us eat them! Let them be our joy! Let them be our hearts’ delight! In Yeshua‘s Name, Amen.

Happy New Year from Weiss Ministries as your hunger allows you to feast upon the bounty of His Words!

Let the words of “My Soul Cries” by Misty Lewis minister to you: 

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WHEN!!!! Joseph’s life was full of “when’s”! So is your life! I think that you will gain some insight into what God is doing in your life by discovering the “when’s” in Joseph’s life.

WHEN . . .

. . .others hate you (as Joseph’s brothers did),

• God will criss-cross the blessing and use the scorned one to bless the haters.

(Joseph was the younger and, according to custom, should not have received the blessing, but God raised him up to be a blessing to all of his elder brothers and even the younger one [Benjamin] whom he had never met — all because God criss-crossed the blessing.)

WHEN. . .

. . .others want to kill you,

• God will send you a Reuben (Genesis 37:12-21) and use him to prevent others from taking your life.

(Reuben, the eldest of Jacob’s sons, suggested that Joseph not be killed but that he should be placed in a cistern. His intent was to return later and free his brother. If the enemy is conspiring to take your life, your reputation, your dreams — God says, “There is a Reuben I am raising up for you!”)

WHEN . . .

. . .they reject you (Genesis 37:23-28),

• God will send you the balm of Gilead.

(Joseph was taken from the cistern and sold to a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt to sell merchandise. This could have been a caravan of rocks, sheep, dung — anything —  but it wasn’t!  They were carrying incense, spices and balms from Gilead. Joseph was thrown on the back of a caravan that smelled of the sweet fragrance of heaven  . . . of the sweet fragrance of Yeshua who is often referred to as “the Balm of Giliead.” I don’t know if Joseph missed the presence of this sweet aroma on his way to Egypt. He could have been so engrossed in his troubles and hurt that he could have missed it! Don’t you miss the fragrance He has for you as you journey through your situation!)

WHEN . . .

. . . you’re in slavery (Genesis 37:36)

• God will send you a Potiphar.

(Joseph is now in Egypt and it is not to a cruel person he is sold . . . but to a man who sees his worth and shows him favor so that Potiphar puts to Joseph’s disposal his entire household. Now, Potiphar’s whole house is blessed because of Joseph’s presence. God will send you a Potiphar who will bless you and you, in turn, will bless him. When Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of making advances on her, it will be Potiphar’s love for Joseph that spares his life. Potiphar had him thrown in prison when he could have had him killed. Oooooooo, BUT GOD! This same One who raised up a Potiphar for Joseph and will also for you!”

WHEN. . .

. . . others forget you,

• God will use a dream as an opportunity for someone who forgot you to remember you.

(When Joseph blessed the cupbearer by telling him the meaning of his dream, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him. The cupbearer forgot all about him. Two years later, Pharoah has a dream that none of his astrologers could interpret. Coincidentally — NO! — PROVIDENTIALLY — the cupbearer remembers Joseph and now Joseph finds his way out of the prison. That was God’s idea . . . because when you are to be remembered, He will not let anyone forget!)

PRAYER: Father, we find ourselves in all kinds of situations: hated, plotted against, rejected, forgotten. Thank you that you have a way of escape for us and that whatever the purpose you have for our lives, your will WILL NOT and CANNOT be thwarted! If you have to criss-cross the blessing, you will. If you have to raise up a Reuben–one voice of compassion in the midst of all the others–you will. If you have to give us an indication of your sweet presence even on the vehicle that is taking us into our slavery, you will. If you have use a Potiphar, a cupbearer or a dream to prepare us for our destiny, you will. We yield to your great mercy, your undeniable plan, and your amazing love! Amen. 

“Off Duty!”

That’s what the Lord said to those of us who had been “standing watch” for my friend Nadine. He said He was taking her home. She had fought a good fight. She had kept the faith. She had finished her course. We had done what we had been commissioned by His heart and love to do! He had taken her home. We were now “Off Duty!”

Now where did that leave us? Those of us who were now pondering all the prayers of faith and visits and calls and meals and baths and massages and support? Those of us who believed God for her healing in this life? Where did that leave us who were now “Off Duty”?

What I discovered is this: God is so concerned about the heart that He will do anything to get to it so that we can stockpile the greatest amount of eternal wealth. It’s the only thing that lasts. In Nadine’s last year, God allowed her to store up more treasure in heaven than, I believe, she had stored up in the former years of her life.

• He healed my friend’s heart and prepared her to meet her Bridegroom.
• She was able to let go of the bitterness of the past and live in the love of God!
• God was able to heal deep wounds that she did not EVEN know existed!
• She was able to see in a real way the people God had given her for her life and for transportation into eternity.
• God was able to develop in her a love for His people and His land Israel, so that she traveled to Israel and selflessly served the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in any way that they needed her.
• She connected with the Jewish roots of her faith and joined studies at a Messianic synagogue.
• She was able to know what it was like to bask in the Presence of God and to desire that Presence.
• She was not only able to grasp God’s word for her healing but also to cling to it because she loved it. She realized that a relationship with God  was more than what she could get from God but who she was in Him. It was more than about her healing. It was about the richness of a life lived in Him. “He will always be in charge of my life,” she said. “Oh, how I love Him so!”
• She was able to bless the lives of those she loved with a radiant smile even in the midst of her pain.
• She was able to build a legacy and leave that with us–her family and friends. A legacy of . . .

1. A life well lived and a race well run . . . and WON!
2. Meeting any obstacle head on;
3. Enjoying life . . . with cruises and backpacking in Europe;
4. Fulfilling dreams, like one of being baptized in the Jordan River, of a wedding dress in a shop window in Turkey, and relaxing in DuBai.
5. Loving family, that even in her sickness she traveled to Trinidad and to New York to connect with those she loved.
6. Not giving in to a struggle.

Nadine Lisa Spence was . . .

• A Warrior in the Navy!
• A Diamond among her friends!
• A Jewel in her family!
• A Princess in the Kingdom of God!

…  and was given an opportunity to build a legacy, leaving that as a memory, an example, and a reflection of the life of a Warrior Princess who is now also “Off Duty.”

PRAYER: Thank you for allowing us to serve our sister, Father, so that she would have more time to build a legacy and store up more treasures in heaven. Thank you that her indomitable spirit did not stop her from believing or trusting You which allowed her faith to make room for Your sovereignty.  You trusted us to encourage her spirit. You trusted us to show her the Father’s love. You trusted us to pray her into Your arms. Although our assignment with Nadine is complete, our assignment with You is not. Never will we forget her, but we do hear You saying to us, “Off Duty. Regroup! Reboot your faith . . . and wait . . . for the next assignment.” It was a privilege serving Your daughter! Amen.

When God finished creating each day’s task, he saw that it was good. The Hebrew word for saw is “ra a.” It literally means “to see, look at, inspect.”

• The first time the Bible says that Adonai “saw” is in verse 4 of Genesis 1 after He commanded light to appear. Then He looked at the light and the Bible says, “He SAW that it was good.”
• The second time it is used is in verse 10 of Genesis 1. He literally says to the dry land, “You are called ‘Earth'” and to the water “You are called ‘Seas’.” As the Master Designer, He creates. It’s what He does — making something out of nothing! Then He inspects His creation. Then He proclaims over it that it is good! He took a world that was flawed because of an angelic rebellion and makes something good. (Remember that Lucifer and a third of the angels were cast into the earth.)

Seven times in Genesis God “saw” that what he had done was good! He did not do that for his benefit because He knew His own capabilities. He knew that He could declare something to be and it would appear just as He envisioned it! But He did it (saw) for our benefit.

He knew that one day we would accuse him of creating a flawed universe, or flawed angels, flawed earth . . . or flawed humans. And that one day we would blame our situation on Him. Adam blamed Him even when he was a witness to the “good” state of the world. Eve indirectly blames Him even when she had the same knowledge as Adam.

When have you blamed Him . . . and what have you blamed Him for?

But He inspected His creation for us. He performed such a condescending task of inspecting His creation for us.

Isn’t that encouraging? He sees you, brokenness and all, but He proclaimed that everything He made was good. Now that you are covered by the blood of His Son, you’re better than “good”! You’re extraordinary!

PRAYER: Abba, again we must say that you are AMAZING! How passionately you want us to know of your love for us that from the beginning you would stand back (if that’s what you did) look upon what you had done, inspect, and see the goodness of it! You took away all of our excuses! Thank you! Help us to receive your love and the reality of how extraordinary we are in your Son. Amen.