Don't bury the God in you - let Him out of the box and into your in-box

Don’t bury the God in you – let Him out of the box and into your in-box

       It’s interesting how the times we live in shape us are we really are. Had I lived 200 years ago (no phone, internet, cable, cars), my relationship with others, and God, would be different. We experience who we really are, often by the times we were born into, and the seasons of our lives. If we doubt this, consider God could have plopped you down from space into a covered wagon in Daniel Boone days, or you could have been on a pirate ship crossing the Caribbean. But you did not. You were born “for such a time as this”. This evening at Shabbat, the woman sharing the harmony (parashot or portions section) shared a bit about one of her favorite writers, Oswald Chambers. There are many such ‘fathers’ of the faith, and they have a lot of wisdom to impart. But I couldn’t help but think as I listened, how would Oswald have looked at life had he had trains and planes and internet and blogs and cell phones at his disposal for communiqué? Even more, we know from accounts of the man, Chambers was said to be so humble he did not think it worthy (or perhaps his personal memos to God were too personal, or he thought it prideful to share them with the world, who knows), but his wife saved his writings, and now the world is blessed because of it. I know of few people anymore who aren’t ‘on-line’ and how many pastors or rabbi’s prepare a message without a IPad or PC. I mean, we can live without all these devises, we certainly did at one time. But how much more accessible are we to each other, and to information, and relationships, because of it. I for one, know that for many years, I resisted being ‘on-line’ cause I thought it meant more work, more necessity to reply to everyone, everywhere who emailed me, asked me a question, or needed something. Little did I know what an invaluable tool these devices could be, provided we know when to put the lid on it, and cap it. Everything has a boiling point and place where you need to say, I go this far, and no more. For me, when the in-box is full at page three, I unplug, pet the cat, grab a latte, and say I’m done for now.   So what does this have to do with God, Buried Treasure, and letting God out of His box and into your in-box: everything!

    As we know we are all created in God’s image, unique, no two people alike, we can imagine we will never know the fullness of His glory, how could it be known? We can experience Him, we can love Him, and we can recognize Him in ourselves and others, but we can’t put God in a box in our little pocket. How can you fit the wind in your sleeve? The God in Oswald Chambers, John Wesley, John the Baptist, Billy Graham, to name a few, is awesome. Look at how God has used them in this world for His purposes. And we are to give credit where credit is due, God wants us to see Him in others. He is foremost a God of relationship and wonder. Yet, to contrast, I see God in the struggling poet who is eeeking out a living working on the docks at the river, although everyone things he has lost his marbles because he has turned down the money and benefits of security, his soul burns with truths that will not let him rest. That ‘holy unrest’ is God. I see God in the young actors on a Broadway stage, though it appears they want the more exciting perks of life, many are hungry for a truth and understanding within themselves they don’t understand. That is why they crave the arts: they long for things only sages think on. I see God in the beaten down mom and dad who are struggling to figure out how to put food on the table, and are all too human to take time to cultivate their innate divinity: they don’t have time for fancy words and sermons, they work 12 hours a day, they want a cold beer and a warm heart at the end of a day. This doesn’t make them evil; it makes them human. They just want to unwind and be with their family and friends. Just as too much carnality and flesh can corrupt a pure transcendent work of the spirit of grace, so too, can a spirit of religion and legalism snuff the life out of grace.

   I think many more would run to enter the Kingdom of God if we could be more like our Messiah who told Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) to get out of that tree, I'm coming to your place for dinner. Jesus became a friend to sinners, yet he never sinned. I know, I know. None of us are there yet. None of us are nor will ever be (in this life and in this body) that perfected or beyond being changed (for the worse) into what we have left behind. But that is no reason not to be willing to get gut level real with people and meet them in their city, in their neighborhood, on their terms, where they live, so we can show them where we live: in a Kingdom not made with human hands. The reason that the harvest is not yet full is that many have not seen how beautiful, how fair and how lovely our King really is (Song of Solomon 5:10).  There has been a linear and generational dis-connect here: for 2,000 years we have somehow failed to convey the glorious beauty of this King. God could use robots or angels to preach the angels: but He prefers dust and ashes: you and me. Oh God help us all to show this world how lovely you really are.

  I think had I been born in a different time I would have considered a rebel, or been labeled with some adjective which branded me different or not one to fit in with the crowd. The status quo of conventional religiosity never did fit me well, though I learned how to fit in when I had to. I see God buried in real people, with real problems, real dreams, real lives, real everything. Not everyone has a perfect life, living in the suburbs, same job since 22, married to the high school sweetheart, with 2 kids and a SUV in the driveway. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But God is so much bigger than that. He is a real God who loves real people with real lives and real dilemmas. God is a God of every shape, size and color life you can imagine. Don’t for goodness sake, bury who you are, to fit into something that will never satisfy your soul. Many poets, prophets, engineers, inventors, teachers, preachers are buried in graves across the world whose words we will never hear, whose words will never change us, because they buried their talents to acquiesce to the culture of the day, or the mindset of the times. Yes, it is good to know the times in which you live, but more importantly, we must live our lives in the time we are put into. Ask God, He will show you who you are: from the inside out. I think we serve and honor God best when we allow Him to show up in us, and refuse to bury what the Spirit of God put in us. Don’t expect everyone to understand. How can someone else know what only God knows?  Let it be enough that your heavenly Father understands. No one is served in humanity by false humility or a blatant pride: true humility is knowing who you are in Christ and being what God made you to be. It is what Christ said is the greatest commandment “Love you neighbor as yourself”. You can’t love others unless you let yourself be loved by God. You can’t give away what you don’t have, and you can’t love others until you really see what God put inside of you. God wants to come out of your eyes and hands and mouth to others: don’t box God in when He wants to live – from the inside out. The Kingdom of God is within.

 

"You're like a Rose"

   What is it about pets and small children in the middle of the night, that we willfully engage their whims, go without sleep - and do it all over the next day. Is it because they are helpless without us, and we are compelled to answer their cry for food or comfort? Whatever it is, my 'Merci-boy' decided he wanted me to scratch him under his chin, (yes I am the cat-staff in this house), and he would not leave me alone until I met his feline demands. Some days I wonder...just who was given dominion over whom. And yet I love him too much to deny him. Those huge green eyes, that purr that sound like a Stanley Steemer, nuzzling me as if I were gone for weeks, what can I do? I love him too much to ignore him. And life is like this at its' best.

 I hear the garbage trucks outside on their morning round, and the birds chirping a round of hi-5's to their feathered friends, now that I am awake, good time to check in with Papa. I love my Papa. No one like my Papa. Over the years, I have discovered, there is nothing you can't say to Papa God. He already knows it all, but He loves to hear us, discover for ourselves, who we really are, in Him. That's the joy and wonder of being alive. So I reflect on this last year of my life. 2013 started out so bleak. My husband, the love of my life, has just passed away, some family members and friends had suddenly passed away also. Other very difficult events, all culminated into a vortex of tears, and I spent the first few months of 2013 feeling as if I were sucker-punched in the gut. Most days felt like I was in a surreal dream. A grey fog, not knowing who I was anymore, what happened to my life, and where was I going. I tell Papa how amazed I am that as 2013 draws to a close next month, I am utterly amazed at how He has healed my heart. He really has. I will end this year doing what my sweet Benjamin so much wanted to do: have a party, a house blessing, friends over, say some prayers, laugh, dance, eat, all the good Jewish things one day to celebrate life and the blessing of a house and a new start. He so much wanted to enjoy the fruits of his labor. And I will rejoice for him and with him, with our 'mishpochah' (family of friends in God) in this living room, just weeks away. I know in my heart and soul that heaven's portals will be open that day, and although I won't be able to see (except by faith), I know that my loved ones in heaven will be smiling down on that day. And enjoying the day with us.

  I tell Papa how I notice our soul never really changes. I mean, we get older. Time and experience, they change us. But I am still the same girl I was at 23. I still have that same romantic outlook on life. I am a realistic person, I don't live in a dream world, I work hard, pay bills, am a news junkie, and keenly aware of the events of the day. I am a romantic soul in that I see the endless possibilities of a thing,and I hear God in the nuances of life that most people mistake for coincidence. I can see the unseen world in my spirit, so I am basically living on 2 planes at a given time. That is what it means to 'walk in the spirit'.  I am 'emotionally' honest (which is hard for some, I know, because most people really do not want to be that 'transparent'). But really, when you know you are loved by God, deeply loved, and you know you are safe in Papa's heart, what really, is there to be afraid of? Come on, are you afraid people will misunderstand you? News flash - they already do. Are you worried about what people will think of you? News flash - some will never 'get you' and others will try to change you to fit their schematica of life. It's no big deal really. Just be who you are. Be who God made you to be. You'll be so much happier. Took me many years to finally understand that. Of all the incredible things about my husband that I loved, I loved that he loved me for who I was. He didn't try to change me. He allowed me to be me. He was the only one who could call me "Lizzie" (my childhood nickname) and get away with it.    But it's the way he said "Lizzie, honey, come over here" and I would lay down aside of him while he watched the Ravens or Orioles on tv, he would scratch my back, the anxiety of the day would melt away, and we would get into a laughing fit. Nothing is better in this world than to be totally accepted and totally loved. Once you have been loved like that, nothing less than that can come close. At it's essence, a satisfying marriage, or a great friendship, parallels in this life just a taste of what being loved by God is meant to be about. God gives us these relationships so we can have a clue of what awaits us in the life to come, and to experience the joy of His love now. Don't refuse a pure love when it comes your way - for God hides Himself often in the unexpected, the unexplained and the unplanned moments of life. Don't tell God your plans for your life, allow Him to show you His. His are better.

 Some mornings all I can do is lay in bed and the tears flow. But the tears are the tears of tenderness and longing, for I feel, smell, sense, and taste how desperately God wants this world to know His Son. He wants this world to know He is coming back soon. I am becoming more and more aware that the Song of Solomon (a metaphor for Christ (the heavenly bridegroom) is calling the bride to 'get ready'. The wedding feast is almost ready. So many are not even dressed for the event, let alone replied to their RSVP. So as I end my time with Papa today, I can't put two words together to make a prayer: All I can do is taste the tears running down my check and tell Him how much I love Him and need Him. There is a sound within me that only the Spirit of God knows: it is the longing to love and be loved by this God who made me. And a renewed sense of life as well, for I know I have much love to give in the days ahead. The sun is starting to peek through the curtains;  I ask my Papa is there anything He wants to say to me today. I hear the words of my (late) father-in-law, Ernest H. Cassutto, (who was a composer and musician pre-WW11 Nazi era). Ernest wrote many wonderful songs, one of which, Ben used to sing to me in long car rides or on trips. I hear my Papa sing these words, in the original melody, to me,  from Ernest's song "You're Like A Rose"....

"Oh, I have now words to tell how sweet you are! 

You're just like a rose in sunny spring!

When I look at you and when I hear your voice,

It's just as if I hear the sweetest music in my dreams.

Oh, I have no words to tell how sweet you are!

Kiss me now and say you love me too.

Then I am the happiest in the world.

   A love song from God. (I wonder if Ernest and Ben heard God sing that this morning from His courts).

 

 

17 November 2013 BLOG            Lightbeacon Ministries & Services    

“7 Minutes on the clock: The Voice of Psalm 83, Isaiah 24 and Isaiah 63”

            It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord uses things in the natural, seen world to reveal what is happening directly above us in the heavens. The blog today is called THE VOICE and I know there is TV show by the same name. Well, there is A VOICE that is speaking from above us, and this voice is speaking ‘through everything in the earth that can be shaken’, in our atmosphere, weather patterns, governments, and nations. Many places in scripture show the Lord, in the last days which we are in, will shake everything that ‘can’ be shaken. That’s an inclusive word: everything means peoples, places and things. In fact, the only thing that won’t be shaken is the Lord’s Kingdom, which is immovable and everlasting. And those who belong to the King, those who belong the Lord, will not be moved. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

            One day this week, I woke up with the words “Isaiah 24’ across my mind, and I couldn’t shake the feeling it was a ‘now’ word. From Isaiah 24, I read “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. ⁵ The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.⁶ Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.” God is a God of eternal things: when He made a covenant with a man or a nation, He swore by His own Name. The power of all creation and eternity, the eternal VOICE is able to back up His power with action. An undefined sadness was within me, and I knew there were epic days ahead for America, depending on what ways the Congress and Senate vote. Here am I, born on the 4^th of July. I am a real live Independence baby. I love my nation. Yet I cringe to think that we (political powers and ideologues who sway the tide of hand in the State Department and Department of Defense), don’t realize how critically vital it is to stand with Israel. America is a republic, operating in a democratic mode of action. Israel is a theocracy, moving in a similar way. To the Western World, and the Middle East, there are really only 2 nations who very tenants bore the truths of the COVENANT and everlasting ORDINANCES into the script of their existence. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence have, at its very soul the Torah and the Commandments of God written into the Legislative, Executive and Judicial system. America’s very existence is linked with Israel; spiritually, culturally, and legislatively. 

            This same week, I couldn’t get Isaiah 63 out of my mind. Isaiah 63 “Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor,striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.”  ² Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress?  “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. ⁴ It was for me the day of vengeance; the year for me to redeem had come. ⁵ I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm achieved salvation for me,and my own wrath sustained me. ⁶ I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.”  I heard that familiar Voice I know. The Lord is saying to us all “No one but me is going to be able to take you through this time in history. No one is going to save any nation, save any family, save any hope, except those who hope in the Lord”. No one but the one who was bloodied and emptied on a execution stake (the cross) is going to take us through and out to the other side. The winepress (the pressing of the Spirit of God into the souls of men and nations) is wringing us out, like a wet dishtowel. Israel is being wrung out: no one is there to help her or save her, but her God. America is next in line. 

            This morning as I was waking up, Psalm 83 came to my mind. Psalm 83 is a prophetic foreshadowing showing the Confederate nations (Arab nations) who are poised to strike at the heart of Israel. Although the names of these nations are centuries old – (Magog, Gog, Persia etc); we can see in modern day  Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya,  the same sons of Esau (Ishmael) who hated the sons of Isaac (Israel) then, that same spirit of jealousy and wildness, is still operating in the middle east today. Esther had Haman who wanted her dead, and Israel today has Hamas out for blood. But just as Haman hung on the very galley he had set for Esther, Hamas will be hung out to dry today. There will be a Arab – Israeli war in the Middle East, Psalm 83 shows this.  What does all this mean, and what will it lead to? The pages of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, (the prophets of Haftorah), the pages of the Torah (first 5 books of Moses), give us more than a clue: Israel is in perilous times, and all those who stand with her are wise (Genesis 12 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing - I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” And God stills says to Israel, all her people, all her tribes scattered throughout the nations, the DNA of man, in all family lines, to all those who align themselves with the God of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord, the Lord of Hosts says” In Deuteronomy28: ⁷  The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.”

            As in the fight for the nation in 1948, as in the 6 days war in 1967, and in the Yom Kippur fight, even now, in 2013, the Lord will again send out His heavenly hosts, with Michael, the great prince (archangel) over Israel, and all who come at Israel with one sword will run with 7 angels chasing them. I tell you, the Mighty Elohim, the God of Israel, is going to Show up, and Show Himself as the Lord over this Land. It was deeded to Israel by God Himself. It is the City of the Great King: the Son of God will come back and rule and reign there. Better watch out: God is pulling out His heavenly arsenal; and it will be a quick defeat for those who curse, hate and revile the souls of Israel. Seven is the number of completion, and God is soon to complete Israel’s deliverance in a earth-moving way. Even Spielberg and George Lucas couldn’t write a script like this. The animation and special effects are coming out of heaven’s theatre, and you will see it.  Let us pray for Israel, her heart to turn toward the Son of God. Proverbs 30:4 “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? From the Complete Jewish Bible  Psalm 2: 7-8 “I will proclaim the decree: Adonai said to me,‘You are my son; today I became your father.⁸ Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance.” Israel: Your Father is waiting for you to make Shalom with His Son, your brother, Yeshua.   / EAC./11/17/13

HaTikvah ("The Hope")        Israel's National Anthem     “As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion, Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost:  To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Nothing Will be Impossible to them that believe

      Nothing Will be Impossible to them that believe

      In the last few months, I keep hearing the Spirit of God saying to me (Liz) "I AM doing a new thing". "I AM cleansing the bloodlines". "I AM re-creating, re-storing and making all things new". I don't know about anyone else here, but I'll risk being transparent here for the sake of authenticity. Many dreams and plans have died over the years, and I just thought someday, when I get to heaven, someday, God will _______ ......(fill in your own personal blanks here). And that is true. In eternity, where there is no death, no tears, no sorrow, all will be perfect, for we will be living in God's home. But,  what I hear the Spirit of the Lord whispering in my ear, even today, as I was driving to the Torah study, is "I will bring my people's dreams to pass in my way, my time, to bring glory to my Name".  I have to say I do not know what God has up His holy sleeve, but I know it's good. It's very good. God is the original dream-maker. In my own life, I have seen the biggest hindrance to fulfillment and new beginnings is past fears and failures, mindsets and a loss of vision. If we're honest, we've all been there. So I am encouraging the Mishpochah, that I so dearly love, to BELIEVE GOD FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE in this hour, for His glory is really going to fall on us. Corporately, and individually.  I have had many nights over the last year where the Lord has been telling me, at all hours of the night (ugh, the Lord doesnt get tired at 2 and 3 am like us),  to PREPARE FOR THE GLORY. PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED. PREPARE FOR YESHUA. HE IS COMING in a people (us) before HE comes back for a people. Just like those Israeli rains we heard about last night, God will fall on us fast and furiously. But it will be wonderful if we are prepared for it. He will reveal His healing (spirit/body/mind/soul) presence in us. I tell you: you can bank on this. After decades of hearing His prophetic voice (sadly, in times past, I did not always obey the Lord) and I repented for it, and endured loss and sorrow for my past disobedience. But that day is over. I have been changed by His glory. Being married to Ben changed me, for the better. He didn't shrink back from anything. He did everything 110%. Ben's passion for life changed me for the better, and helped mold me into the the woman I now am. Time changed me. Life changed me. The good, the bad, the ugly, it all changes us into who we are today. Yet too often we are handcuffed to our past. Yet in this soon coming move of God, God wants us to know, to enter it: we have to let go. SURRENDERING is the key to obtaining in God. THE PAST IS DEAD: We are to learn from our seasons in life, not be defined or marred by it. God lives in the eternal NOW. He is a NOW and living God "I AM THAT I AM" (not I was who I was).  I know when God is visiting me in the night watches, in the car, in my thoughts, in dreams, in His Word, in His Presence. And God always starts at square one: He goes back to the basics: He is starting by healing our bloodlines: our literal DNA. I know God is doing it in me. I see small signs that the healing power has already started, and once more, joy and hope and vision is returning. So take a minute and read this one page prophetic word from Dutch Sheets below. My spirit bears witness to this cause it is what God has been saying to me since He took my beloved Ben home to glory.    1 Corinthians 14:29: “Let the prophets speak and let the others judge.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Test all things; hold fast to what is good.” 

Hearing God whether Awake or Asleep: What to do when God is speaking to you in dreams.

Hearing God whether Awake or Asleep: 

What to do when God is speaking to you in dreams.

I often get asked (like 'Golda' in Fiddler on the Roof) ' tell me what my dream means Golda' . In fact, my late husband Ben used to get a kick out of this because first thing we did every morning after a morning kiss and plugging in the coffee, is race to see who could remember their dream so we could blurt it out to the other before we forgot it. Before dashing to get to get out the door to work, we were telling each the dream we had the night before. I know many people dismiss dreams as too much lasagna the night before, but the truth is, form the Word of God, nothing could be further from the truth. There are hundreds of references in the Torah, Haftorah and Brit Chadashah about dreams. Until the Western World nearly wiped out the Holy Sprit influences in the post modern world, people knew that ' Genesis 46:2 dreams were often a message from God. I greatly value the Lord teachings (even in our sleep), for our Spirits never sleep -- only our conscious psyche (mind/soul). The Spirit of God is alive in you 24/7. We would be in big trouble fast if it were not so; we would not be alive if the Spirit of Life in us took even a catnap for a day. There would be no breathing O2 and walking on terra firma. There is a sweetness to listening to the God who whispers. In our mind and heart, He reveals symbols, signs, meanings (even when we are asleep). And when we awake, we can  match it with scripture and meditating on His Word. I keep a journal aside of my bed, and for years, I have jotted down many words and impressions the Lord has given me. (unfortunately, I did not always pay attention or heed some needed advice I should have. Yeshua is always working in us, changing us into His image: and fashioning us to see and hear and respond to the world where the soul/spirit live: on the inside, where the tree of life really is. Yeshua is that tree, and we are His branches. He is growing in us, so naturally, He communicates spirit-to-spirit, which is stronger than any connection to bone and marrow.  The Lord may be giving some of you dreams, and you are not sure how to understand this. Remember, the language of the Spirit is from the left side of our brain (creative side). The left side is like an accountant of sorts. Words, reading, math, they are logical and analytical. Accountants, scientists, doctors are often right-sided thinkers. This has been proven scientifically many times over. The more predominantly right-lobed folks (like myself) are very visual, in touch with their 5 senses, spacial and emotional. Writers, pastors, teachers, leaders, prophets, dreamers, singers, (the creative arts) are the right-lobed folks. Some people have a nice mix of both, but just like medicine has proved people feet and limbs or feet are usually larger on one side of the their body more than the other - most people are more pronounced on one side. My sweet husband was definitely a left-sided thinker: scientist, doctor, very logical. Thank goodness for the ‘left lobers’ .

If right-lobed folks ruled the world, nothing would get finished. (this is an acknowledgement to my many projects that are started but not yet finished. Oh Vey!). Ben was very in touch with his emotions and creative side too, so he was an unusual blending of both.  Me: well, I am work-in-progress on the heavenly carpenter’s tool shed, we’ll leave it at that. I am as right-lobed as they come. Job placement offices across the world often test people’s abilities by this precise methodology: certain strengths and leanings in one’s personality will show them what jobs and professions they are more suited for. An accountant will be miserable if he tries to make a living as a starving artist; conversely; an engineer who needs order and function will hate the life of a freelance musician. If we are to be successful in life, in the Kingdom, and in our eternal destiny - we can start tonight: pay attention to what God is saying when you wake up. Listen to your heart: as Jesus said, the issues of life start and end there. The Lord said two words to me upon waking one morning in 1989: ‘Buried Treasure’.  I thought maybe I should start panning for gold in the apartment I was renting, I really didn’t get it at first. After prayer and asking Him what He meant, he said “Liz, that is the name of the book I want you to write “Buried Treasure”. Within my people are buried all the treasures of my kingdom.  And so I did. In fact, it was the book ‘Buried Treasure’ that was on a vendor table at a messianic conference in 1997 that the Lord told me to go to. It was there that a handsome Army Officer en route to Japan stopped by and asked me a million questions. That man was Ben, and that book, was how we met. Had I not listened to that dream and the dialogue with God that followed, I never would have met or married Ben. In a dream, God told me to go. He told me I would meet the man God had purposed for me to meet. At that time and at that place.  Lech Lecha! (Go!) God walked him right into my life because of a dream.

There are some very good wonderful (Christian) books on dream interpretation from biblical viewpoints. I worked for a Christian publisher in the early 90’s, and we edited Rev. Dr. Herman Riffle’s books “Dreams, A Way to Listen to God’ and some other fine books that dealt with dreams. That was a lifesaver for me! I never knew it was even ‘ok’ to think your dreams were anything but random mental bubbles playing on the trampoline of your subconscious at night. Once I understood God was speaking to me, it became clearer to me what He was trying to say. Because in the language of the Spirit (God is both spatial and visual at the same time), God inhabits more than even time and space, up and down.  If you doubt this, look how He spoke to all the prophets from Genesis to Revelation. Look at how He created the world. He spoke (spatial) and it became (visual). God is not 3-dimensional, He is beyond time and space. When He (who lives in us) is trying to talk to us, He wants to inhabit more than just our ‘space of conscious thinking’ (reasoning) alone and go into our spirit-man, where all creativity comes from. Whether it is warning us of impending things to come, to prepare us, or encourage us to move to new levels in Him, the Creator has full access to all the tools on His tool belt. It is an exciting, wonderful life to dream with God! I found out His dreams for me are far better than I ever dreamed for myself. We ignore God’s voice (often spoken in a whisper between night and daybreak) to our own detriment.  He loves us so much. Like a good Father, He is just trying to help us. Many times, He has used animal images (a friendly dog, a galloping horse) to show me different sides of myself that He were coming more alive in Him, and there are often fearful creatures in areas where He was showing me areas where He wants me to overcome the adversary or the flesh in a part of myself. Don’t limit God to 4 squares in a peg: He invented billions of solar systems: He can show off in any size, shape and color He wants. The less you limit God, the greater your ability to contain His glory. And this is important, cause the more of God in us – the more we can give out to others. We are alive for one another as much as for ourselves. We are all part of a greater ‘Echad’ called the Kingdom of God.   I personally have kept a record of prophetic words God has spoken to me (from the laying on of hands spoken by prophets and people of God) since I was a young girl of 23 dancing in the theatre world and asking God to show me who He was and what He wanted for my life. I love those words: I have saved them like a lovesick teenager and have gone everywhere I have lived. They are of great value to me:  it is the very breath of God and it says how He feels about me. Is anything more wonderful than a love letter from God?  Even when He corrects us and reproves us, He is loving us. When he honors us and blesses us, He is thrilled to be our Father. If we ever could feel the weight of His love for us, it would crush us in our present state. There have been a few times in my life I felt His love like that: and I could not stand under the weight of His glory. I was undone. Unglued. No wonder the Song of Solomon tells the story of lovesick hearts, God was showing through the Shulamite woman how He really feels about us: He is crazy about you and me. Yes, He hated the sin enough to offer His own Son for the ransom, but He loves us. And He will show you His love in even your dreams.

Why did I say all this. God’s love often hides in the darkest places of earth: the inside of a clay jar. You and I are that clay pot. In our sleep, He can shine in the noonday light.

On a last note: I will share a personal dream here, for illustration sake. This past week, Ben’s sister called me, and said “Liz, are you ok, I had the most vivid dream about you”. She proceeded to tell me this:   “Liz, I dreamed that you were in a coffin (or casket) at the church (where Ben's service was). You had died, and it was your service. You were laid out in a beautiful wedding gown. As everyone was boo-hooing, you suddenly jumped out of the coffin, smiling and dancing. You were suddenly alive, and there was great rejoicing”.  She said “Liz, at first the dream was so sad, but it had a really happy ending”. How like life: what a paradigm for the whole gest of human history. We sinned, got kicked out of the garden (sad), but the happy ending is we are back in the garden with the Chief Husbandsman who rescues us.

This isn’t rocket-science here. As my sister-in-law was telling me the dream, the interpreter on the inside of me (The Holy Spirit) was giving me the skinny on this: This is what the Lord revealed: “When Ben died, I, as his wife (and we were one in spirit and body, ‘Echad’) I felt like I died too. Compiled with other deaths this year of loved ones, it was a year of sorrow and grief on many levels. I (Ben’s wife, his bride) had died on many levels. Being in a ‘coffin; of course speaks of death. The casket was in the church for the memorial service. Suddenly, the bride (me) was not dead anymore, I was very much alive and jumped out of that casket (like a type of Lazarus, and came forth). Dancing, happy feet. I believe the dream has a twofold meaning: (1) In the dream I was a bride (The Bride of Christ) who is coming alive. The Lord is getting us ready for His return, for the Second Coming, for the countdown of the End of things. But first, He is showing off his bride to the world. (many scriptures tell us the Lord will pour out His spirit in the last days, His sons and daughters will dream dreams, prophesy etc). We will be His hands and feet in the earth. WE ARE HIS BRIDE.  It looked like the enemy killed us off. It looks like we have been mortally wounded. But then, from death to life! And (2): I think this also holds a personal message to me that the Lord gave my sister-in-law and me: the Lord showed me that I will be married again. Today, the Lord spoke to me about Isaiah 62 “b. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness: When God lifts up Zion, then the nations see it and brought to trust in the LORD themselves. And “You shall be called by a new name”. If I am to remarry, then I will have another last name.

Although my beloved Ben is in his eternal reward, I knew he loved me and wanted God’s best for me, always. In fact, this year, when the Lord asked me if I wanted to marry again, I said only if He (the Lord) and Ben would work in tandem and choose for me. Choices like this, when the price of ministry, destiny, and providence is so high, and our lives affect others, is costly. I cannot be trusted to even know what is best for me anymore. Too much is at stake: the Glory of the House of the Lord. For Zion’s sake, don’t hold back. As the Word says, “Unless He (the Lord) builds the house, they that labor labor in vain”(Ps 127:1) . Only my spiritual Eliezer (Gen. 24) can choose the Isaac for this Rebecca.  So that dream that so startled my sister in law- thinking I had died, was the spirit of God telling her I am about to become enlivened again, spirit, body, soul and mind, for the Creator. We are all the bride of Christ. And lovely to behold.  Listen to your dreams. You will find the secrets of the Kingdom in hidden places, in ‘Buried Treasure’.  Get a journal. Get a pen. God wants to speak to you tonight.

EndNotes:

Coffins and caskets in dreams can mean dying physically (but more often, it is mentally and emotionally deaths we face every day).  But, it can also mean coming out of spiritual death into life in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). I know a bridal gown (what I was wearing in the casket) symbolizes being prepared for marriage.   And ultimately, even if I were to die, I would be  in the presence on the Lord, in a flash, more alive there than I am right now.  Yet I know God has things for me to do, He has shown me so. If I am obedient (Dt. 28) to do all that He has told me to do, I will live and see those good plans comes to pass. So death has no hold on me, no fear. My husband’s death, and other family and friends deaths just this year, has shown me, for a believer, death cannot keep us in the grave. We will grieve, but we will be made alive again in God. “Oh death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? KJV Corinthians 15:55

[And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied.  Job 33:29   "God does all these things to a person-- twice, even three times-- Job 40:5  I spoke once, but I have no answer-- twice, but I will say no more."  Psalm 62:11   One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: "Power belongs to you, God, Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Job 1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job 33:13  Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one's words]. Below is a website with some easy references to get you started.  * * A good website is ChristianDreamSymbols.com   A – Z with biblical references.

Respectfully submitted:

Elizabeth Cassutto

Lightbeacon Ministries & Services

P.O. Box 1445

Millsboro, Delaware  19966