Author: Melissa Lynne

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Come and See and Hear

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

“Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.” ~ Psalms‬ ‭66:5, 16-17‬‬‬‬

We have an invitation to come and see what God has done. To see how merciful He is towards us; how awesome He is to display His power; how wonderfully He demonstrates His love and allows us to encounter His presence.

The shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock the night Jesus was born were moved to go and see the newborn Messiah “…the shepherds said to one another, “… Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us…” ~ Luke‬ ‭2:15‬. We too have an opportunity to go and see and worship Him.

We also have the call to share what we have seen. Later in Jesus’ life a man by the name of Philip encountered Him when He began His earthly ministry. Philip invited Nathanael to come and see Jesus., “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” ~ John‬ ‭1:46‬‬

In Psalm 66:5 the Psalmist invited us to come and see what God has done and how awesome his deeds are to us. Then in verse 16 he invites us to come and hear. The author’s personal testimony would be a powerful witness to anyone who would listen – that would fear the Lord. To fear the Lord is to exhibit reverence and respect for who God is. The psalmist was ready to tell what God did for him.

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” ~ Psalms‬ ‭66:16‬‬

Once you see, you are more open to also hear. Before people will listen to you they often have to see something that would cause them to want to hear and listen to what you have to say. Your testimony is a powerful witness to those who would hear.  Never underestimate the power of a personal testimony of your encounter with God. What He has done for you must be told to others. He wants to speak to others through you!!!

Heavenly Father, Help us always to accept your invitations to come and see; to experience You for WHO You are and worship You. Let us be aware that though You reveal Yourself through mighty signs and wonders You also reveal through Your abundant grace and mercy. Lord, help us to realize more and more just how awesome You are. Help us respond to the invitation to come and see and come and hear and for others to come to know You as we testify of Your goodness. Let our testimony speak of Your praises and what You have done for our souls. May we always glorify You. In Jesus Name. Amen!

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Ask of Me!

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

 

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. ~ Psalms‬ ‭2:8‬‬‬‬

DFF3ACD9-85B8-4698-B11F-72DFDDB672D7This is God’s truth and promise for you and for me. All we need to do to be mighty for God throughout the nations of this world is to “ask” Him.

Before we can even ask though, we need a vision and a desire for the nations. Many of us have little to no burden or concern, love or interest in the lost of our own country let alone the nations of the world. Our lives tend to focus on ourselves and our immediate family. But if we grow as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we will begin to see our neighbors through God’s eyes and begin to take pleasure in knowing this generation of all colors and creeds and sharing with them the Gospel.

Jesus loves the nations. We were all created by God, in the image of God (Genesis 5:1-2). I believe that every man living today will one day see that when God made Adam, you were and we really are related to all mankind. According to Genesis 10:32 all the nations come from Noah. And so because Noah is your forefather too, you also have a connection to every single one of the nations. Abraham, who is your spiritual father, is the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4). So you are related also to many nations and each other by the Spirit of God.

We live in the day when no nations are a far off. Anyone can be reached in just a few minutes. Every nation affects another nation. Something happening in the most remote people group can affect many lives in many nations in just a few hours. Even very small countries can shake kingdoms.

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. ~ John 4:35

Lift up your eyes and heart and look on the nations. Love the people. The treasures of heaven are all of the beautiful people of the world. Jesus wants nations, but He wants to bring each one individually of those nations into a relationship with Himself, just like He brought you in, before His return.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ~ 2 Peter 3:9-10

So go to them now. Love them now. Pray for them now. Ask God to give you the nations now. They can be your possessions – if you so desire.

You can have all that your heart desires: the mountains of Switzerland, the canals and tulip fields of Holland, the manufacturers of China, deserts of the Sahara, the cities of America, paddy fields of Taiwan, the oil wells of the Middle East and Russia, the farms of New Zealand, fisheries of Greenland, coal mines of Wales, the castles of England, fashion houses of France, gemstones of India, the cattle ranches of Argentina and the gold of South Africa.

It can all be yours and it can be mine…because it is HIS! And He says, “Ask of Me!”

——

Father, today would you give me a greater burden, a clearer vision, and increasing love for the nations of the world and the people that live in each one that You love and died for. Would You show me how to reach those You have called me to reach whether at home, in my community, or across the world. In Jesus Name! Amen!!!

Posted in Dreams

Dream of 3/20/2018

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

2367C73F-0AB5-4B31-AD44-6629F09FC244We were on a cruise ship. Half way through the journey it was planned that we would change ships to reach our final destination. When it came time to transfer, Dan was sick so it was determined he couldn’t go the second leg. He told me to go on and he would catch up with me later.

I was barefoot and had to go back to our room to get shoes only to find they had been packed and the porter had taken the bags already. To continue I would have to go barefoot until my luggage arrived.

“A” broke her lap top because she dropped it intentionally. There were little shards of glass everywhere. I reached down to pick her laptop up and set it aside so no one would cut themselves but then I cut my fingers and blood was all over my clothes.

I met a young couple I once went to church with. She ignored me completely. He told me how much I had meant to him because I sat with him one day and got to know him. Honestly, he intrigued me because the week before I met him I saw an angel bowing at the altar at church and the next week there he was in the same place…also bowing. I never told him of the angel. In my dream I thought of that…but my thoughts were more…I had no idea they were even a couple.

I got up and started to walk toward the second ship. A woman I went to college with was urging me to hurry down the gang plank because it was to time to set sail. It was hard as I was running as fast as I could run.

I saw my pastor run onto the second ship and have a seat at a beautiful round dinner table. She was dressed very elegantly, her hair perfect, and she glowed. She definitely looked like she belonged at this dinner.

There was a mirror in the corridor and I stopped to catch my breath. Looking at myself I thought there is no way I can be a part of that dinner. They usually require appropriate dress in the dining rooms. I didn’t have shoes, a hairbrush or toothbrush. I had nothing except my clothes and they were bloody.

I turned to go back thinking I would wait with Dan and I saw everyone’s bags in a huge heap. But then I looked back toward the second ship and saw a large sign that said – ALL INCLUSIVE – Leave behind all of your bags. Board just as you are and bring nothing. Everything will be provided.

And I woke up!

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Philippians 4:7

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

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The Holy Spirit offers a means of letting us know the will of God. He guides us through His peace. Philippians 4:7 says:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Peace – a state of mutual harmony between people or groups; cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension; freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, obsession

Keep – to hold or retain in one’s possession

The Greek word that is translated “keep” is “phroureo.” It is used in the New Testament in a literal sense of a military guard stationed at the gates of a city to prevent invasion or to keep the inhabitants from fleeing in fear and being captured and killed by the enemy.

“Phroureo” is also used to describe the activity of the Holy Spirit in watching over and guarding believers to preserve them so that they may attain the blessings by doing the will of the Father. That is how it is being used in this verse. It is a “spiritual warfare” kind of word.

Before I became a Christian, I would describe my inner condition as fearful (or full of fear). I was generally scared of almost everything. People, finances, family, and my future. I was afraid of what was, what ifs, what could be. I was never at peace and had no idea what peace was like. I knew others who did not live that way, but I felt this was who I was meant to be and I needed to just come to terms with it.

Some people are bound by spirits of fear and will not be at peace until they are free. Deliverance from spirits of fear seems necessary for some to be able to really know the peace of God. I was one of those.  The day I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, was delivered of fear, and baptized in the Holy Spirit, everything changed instantly. At 46 years old, I was at perfect peace for the first time in my life, and it did surpass all of my understanding. I could not even explain peace, but I knew it immediately. It was a brand-new experience for me.

Within a few years of experiencing peace, I became somewhat adjusted and familiar with the peace of God, so I didn’t think a lot about it unless it disappeared. I don’t mean that I necessarily became over-anxious again. I just became aware that I was not feeling the peace of God at that moment. When that happened, I would stop what I was doing and pay serious attention to the Lord who would then show me what to do or what not to do. The guiding and the peace always hinged on the attention I gave.

Over the years, there have been quite a few decisions that I made as the Holy Spirit “guarded” me with His peace. For that reason, I truly have come to trust His peace. I wish I could say I have always stopped in my tracks and given  my full attention when my peace disappeared. I can’t say that at all…but I can say that I have always regretted not heeding the peace of God. Thankfully, we can learn from mistakes and forgiveness is real. Thank you so much, Jesus!

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Psalm 37:23-24

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

D300F698-C069-4F5D-810E-0EFE69A4999A“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.”‭‭ ~ Psalms‬ ‭37:23-24‬

Just like a giraffe has a higher vantage point than the turtle, our Father whom we trust in has the ability to see farther and beyond our present vision and circumstances. God sees where we are, what we need, and where He wants to take us. When we fall He picks us up and makes a way for our restoration. He is a God that loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for you and for me. He gave us the Holy Ghost to be our counselor and mentor. He gave us His Word so that His will and plan could be always before us to guide our lives. He gave us prayer so that we always have direct access to Him.

His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts though we should desire they be, looking more and more like Jesus every day. His ways, thoughts, plans and view are eternal. Through relationship with Jesus Christ given to us by our surrender to and confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior we too can have life eternal. We too can be guided step by step, hour by hour, day by day….knowing this – ordered steps are eternal steps.

Order our steps today, Lord, and help us to see things from Your eternal point of view.