Forming Community, Walking in Love

August 7, 2019

Thank You, Jesus, for bringing these lovely souls together one in heart and mind and purpose. Please, Lord, guide us that love and obedience to Your Spirit may be our rule. Amen.

Well, before I give you the Lord's message, I want to share with you some readings that I got from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I like her book for some things. She's just very mellow and very wise. And I enjoy her books.

This is under November 29th. "In this age of independence, people find it hard to acknowledge their neediness. However, I have taken you along a path that has high-lighted your need for Me. Placing you in situations where your strengths were irrelevant."

Oohhh, yes...

"And your weaknesses we glaringly evident."

Oohhh, yes again...

"Through the aridity of those desert marches, I have drawn you closer and closer to Myself. You have discovered flowers of Peace blossoming in the most desolate places. You have learned to thank Me for hard times and difficult journeys, trusting that through them I accomplish My best work.

"You have realized that needing Me is the key to knowing Me intimately. Which is the Gift above all Gifts. Amen."

And I thought, 'Okay, Lord. Which reading do You want me to muse as a rhema here for myself?' So, I read the other side. Equally as interesting.

"Problems are a part of life. They are inescapable, woven into the very fabric of this fallen world. You tend to go into problem-solving mode all too readily. Acting as if you have the capacity to fix everything. This is a habitual response, so automatic that it by-passes your unconscious thinking. Not only does this habit frustrate you, it also distances you from Me. Do not let 'fixing things' be your top priority. You are ever so limited in your capacity to correct all that's wrong in the world around you!

"Don't weigh yourself down with these responsibilities that are not your own. Instead, make your relationship with Me your primary concern. Talk with Me about whatever is on your mind, asking My perspective on the situation. Rather than trying to fix everything that comes to your attention, ask me to show you what is truly important. Remember that you are en route to Heaven and let your problems fade in the light of Eternity."

So, I have a confession to make here. What's really going on is that different situations are coming up for people who are on their way. One person had some animals with them, and they were getting overheated, because their air conditioning wouldn't work. And I was freaking out for them, crying before the Lord that they wouldn't lose their animals to heat stroke. And the Lord heard my prayer, but the this was--it really got me thinking. 'Well, what can we do? If I were there, I would get a couple of animal carriers. I would wet them down with water and I'd do this, and I'd do that.'

And so, I was really...you know. Really trying to figure out how to fix it, even though this situation's a thousand miles away! And THAT has been my knee-jerk reaction to everything lately. It's like... I'm a Mother, but I'm not a mother to every single problem that comes up. People need to work through their own situations. And I just want to help. I just run to help.

So, I shared that with you, because I know that some of you out there are fix-it freaks as well. You can't stand to see things get in the way of movement, so you jump in there and 'take care' of it.

Well. The bottom line is, I've been neglecting the Lord in prayer. And that has opened some doors. And through those doors has been a barrage of hot coals from the pit of hell. But I've got my sanity back now, and I think we're on the right track.

So, I asked the Lord, "What is on Your Heart, Lord?"

Jesus began, "You are a Family. When one hurts, all hurt--and childlike obedience is a great safeguard for you all. The enemy is trying to cook up trouble between each other. So, My Love, be extra cautious."

"What is on My heart is the excitement of all of you coming together to worship Me. That is beyond exciting! And yet there is reason for concern. The enemy will do his very best to disrupt and divide; that is why I keep stressing Humility to you."

And as an aside, I got HUMILTY several times from the Bible Promise Book. And all from the missal readings the same thing, and Scriptures about the Lord's humility from the second chapter of Philippians:

Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship that we share in the Spirit, if there is any great depth of affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love toward one another, knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel--the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ.

(By the way, this is the Darby translation, which I'm really beginning to love.)

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit through factional motives, or strife, but with an attitude of humility being neither arrogant nor self-righteous, regard others as more important than yourselves.

(Oh, that is so, so important, dear ones.)

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus look to Him as your example in selfless humility, who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes--the entire nature of deity, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it. But emptied Himself without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man. After He was found in terms of His outward appearance as a man for a divinely-appointed time, He humbled Himself still further by becoming obedient to the Father to the point of death, even death on a cross.

For this reason also because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in submission, of those who are in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord sovereign God, to the glory of God the Father.

So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed my instructions with enthusiasm, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation. That is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity with awe-inspired fear and trembling using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ. For it is not your strength, but it is God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work. That is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose for His good pleasure.

Do everything without murmuring or questioning the providence of God, so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a morally crooked and spiritually perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights, beacons shining out clearly in the world of darkness, holding out and offering to everyone the word of life. So that in the day of Christ, I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run my race in vain nor labor without result. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith for preaching the message of salvation, still I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You, too, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. Philippians 2:1-18

Interestingly, he says here "I am being poured out as a drink offering." And tradition has it that when Paul was being beheaded, milk came instead of blood. Milk came out of his body.

Jesus continued, "These words are solid gold and life-giving, laying down the basis for Community life. And if followed very carefully, will foil the plans of the enemy. You see, Clare, he has a file on every person, and in the front of that file is a section called, 'Buttons.' And it is used for quick access to the most effective stumbling blocks for each individual.

"My Beautiful Ones, know yourselves through and through. Do not gloss over your flaws and faults. Do not ignore your desire for things to go your way. Bring it down, Beloved, bring it down. There is only ONE way--and that is My way. And I want each of you to recognize what is beneath your smiles and benevolence, knowing that at any minute Satan can turn that to Rancor.

"The more you are detached from the world and your opinions and preferences, the easier will be your journey in Community. The more preferences you have, the more difficult. The more intelligent you are in your approach to doing things, the more dangerous you are to the simplicity of what I am doing in this Community. I want to see My life mirrored in everything you have and do.

"The greatest protections you can arm yourselves with are Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience in following the way I lived and did things.

"I did not choose the palace of Herod to be born, but a despicable stable, smelling of manure. I did not choose a royal entourage of finely outfitted men; rather, My choice was rag-tag fishermen who lived a rough and common life--and smelled nasty, as well.

"In My death, I was not accompanied by doctors and nurses. Rather, I was beaten mercilessly. I was crowned with thorns that pierced my eye. I was nailed to the wood of the Cross between two thieves; spit on and reviled. These were My Father's choices for Me, which I gladly accepted without argument.

"The lowest way, dear ones, is the highest. The last place is the preferred place. To wash My disciple's feet was to Me a royal honor. I came to serve, not be served. I came to obey, even to the point of an ignominious death. I came to give, not to be given to. Nor to collect the riches and perks of the World. I had no need of those things. They were an encumbrance and distraction that took My mind away from My Father in Heaven, if only for a millisecond, it was exceeding painful! All I wanted was His company and to fulfill His Divine Design.

"Do you see, Children? Do you comprehend? The style of Christianity that is lived today bears no resemblance whatsoever to how I lived. Except among the missionaries of the world.

"Not all of you are called to this kind of poverty. But Kings and Queens have set aside their riches to live as I lived in the privacy of their quarters, because they found the meaning of Life in My company. If you have all the world at your disposal but have not Me--you are indeed a pauper.

"So, I am giving you an opportunity to live very similarly to the way I lived, so that your entire heart may be focused on Me and our relationship. These restrictions are not privations; they are protections. Set the world outside your door but come to Heaven dwelling in your own tiny quarter, because we are together.

"'Monastery' comes from the word meaning 'live alone'. But you are not alone. You are one on One with Me. So, this is the meaning and reason for Evangelical poverty. You live entirely on Providence and have what I determine you need. If I do not provide it, then it must not be necessary. This is the heart attitude I wish for you to live.

"Poverty applies also to attitudes and thoughts. The purse of your own opinion.

"For instance, Mother Clare likes to research and get the best of what she needs. But that is not My way. I prefer for her to be simple and not so studied. That leads to Pride, which she is all too aware of in herself. When you study how to do things, do not pride yourself on the latest technologies, because that is another form of worldliness. Rather, choose simplicity and less, rather than elegant design and more.

"'What would Jesus do?' is always a very good question to ask yourself. With the exception of necessity and equipment for your art, whether it be writing, music, or art, your lives should resemble the migrant worker's.

"Chastity that is proper for your state in life."

This is the second vow of a Franciscan-professed life. Poverty. Chastity. And Obedience. So, Chastity is number 2.

Jesus continued, "Chastity that is proper for your state in life. If you are married, you are having children--unless you decide to live a celibate life and are in total agreement. But keep the marriage bed pure and undefiled. It also means protecting your eyes and ears from sensuality and lust. Covering your body so as not to stimulate others, but to keep your body modestly covered and not lend a hand to lustful imaginations."

And I just want to add here, it's an expression of St. Francis, speaking to the third-order Franciscans who had families. I believe this came from St. Francis of Assisi. He would tell them, "It is possible to get inebriated on your own wine. So, be careful." In other words, your own wife. To get lustful and overly engaged in lustful thoughts and actions with your own wife.

Really, I believe that the coming together of men and women should be very, very pure and tender. Not at all like what is portrayed as sexuality these days. It's very perverted and lustful. And the thing about it is, no matter how much you look for more stimulation, you're never satisfied. You always want more and more and more. And it leads to perversion. So, that's what he means by Chastity that is proper for your state in life.

Jesus continued, "Food, also, is to be taken in moderation--both in quantity and quality. And includes moderation in eating and foods served. In other words, Steak & Lobster are inappropriate, because they reflect a prosperous, worldly way of life that finds its meaning and pleasure in delicacies.

"I want you to find all your meaning in Me. And if it be necessary, I will always provide consolations through the things you use in the world. But you will find this a costly effort.

"All of you have preferences, likes, and dislikes and are prone to wanting your way. But if you want more of Me, you will abandon these habits and come to find your completeness only in Me.

"And that is a promise."

Interesting, St. Francis of Assisi really denied his body so many things that he had to repent. Because he didn't treat the temple properly. And when he was dying, someone showed up at the door with his favorite honey-cakes, and his favorite fish dinner. And it was gourmet. The Lord had mercy on him and brought him these things, 'cause he was so loving and consoling towards St. Francis. Because he denied himself so much to have more of Jesus.

And this is interesting. This Rhema came up on the Internet while I was writing this: Practice self-denial in food and comforts. If the unseen is to get full possession of us and our heart, life and prayer are to be full of faith. There must be a withdrawal from and denial of the visible. The spirit which seeks to enjoy as much as possible of what is permissible is inconsistent with strong faith and close contact with the spiritual world.

Dear Family, I am still working towards detachment. And today, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, I am giving away most of my clothing I have accumulated since the Lord asked us to take our habits off after 9/11.

But my weakness is still food. I must make a choice hour by hour to deny myself preferred foods. I did this once before when I was younger--in my early 40's--and it was amazing. I could walk by any delicious food and not have a craving for it at all. I was so detached from food, I only ate to keep my body alive. I have found that really good food is a distraction and in conflict with prayer and hungering after spiritual things.

I long to be free from that again. Please pray for me.

Jesus continued, "And my greatest safeguard, that I would accomplish what My Father sent Me to do, was Obedience. He set the boundaries that kept Me alive and evading the devils. He watched over every movement of My Heart as I was growing up, and spoke continually to Me.

"The training I received from My mother was guided by My Father's hand. She cleaved to Him with all her strength, especially during the trial of her pregnancy. She knew when she accepted the angel's invitation that it could mean death by stoning. But she was quite advanced in the practice of self-denial, obedience and faith, and knew the Father's Heart.

"It was Joseph's obedience that kept Me from the hands of Herod. It was My obedience to the law and the prophets that brought about the moment of Holy Spirit's descent and sent Me out to the wilderness to do battle with Satan. It was My obedience to Scripture that overcame the temptations set before Me.

"And finally, dear ones, it was My obedience that redeemed you from everlasting shame in the fires of Hell and delivered you into My Hands as My lovely Bride."

Jesus continued, "What I have taught you here is not for everyone. This is a time-honored path followed by the desert fathers, and those who wish to have as much as is possible in a human body of their God. They are the lovers and generals in My army who care nothing for public opinion, popularity, riches, and the pleasures of the flesh. They have chosen to detach themselves from these endless distractions and clear the clutter from their lives, that I may inhabit them to the fullest.

"You do not have to live this way to be saved. But to have more of Me, you will choose to draw away more and more from the consolations of this world, which are so distracting.

"I love you tenderly and am with you in this endeavor. I speak to you continually, bringing about change for the better. Set your heart on the things of the Spirit, and I will work with you, Beloved."