Dripping In Pearls Pt.1

Pearls come from pain.   They're formed when a grain of sand or other foreign object lodges itself in a mollusk.  If the mollusk is not able to dislodge the object it becomes an irritant causing friction and discomfort.  It is at that point that the mollusk begins to secrete mother of pearl, which builds layer upon layer of a sheen over the irritant.  When this layering process is complete, it produces a perfect pearl of great value and desire.

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Not every pearl has a great value, because the value of the pearl comes from the process that produced it.  There are synthetic which come from a fabricated enviroment.  They are engineered with synthetic or man made materials and are the cheapest of all pearls and very common  and have little value.  Next, there is a cultured pearl, coming from the natural source but in a fabricated enviroment that is man controlled and manipulated, and the actual pearl is made by man infusing the elements that created the pearl process. These pearls are expensive but not rare and do not hold the highest value. But the natural pearl – is the pearl that is one in hundred and found in it’s natural enviroment created by the Creator Himself.  They are from the enviroment that God ordained the creature to abide in, under the conditions He engineered to produce the most pure and unadulterated beauty known as the "pearl of great price."  Many of these pearls, the natural pearl,  will sell for millions of dollars.

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God gave us a beautiful display of the process of pain in our lives through this natural process of the, might I say unattractive, mollusk,  that produces one of the most desired gems in the world.  If pearls are birthed from irritants – from pain and from friction – then we see that a pearl of true value comes from allowing GOD to have his way and do HIS WILL in our lives without our interference and without our interjection and without our help!  We must allow God to have His way in us, even in the most incomprehensible and disturbing pain in our lives.  .

These pains and irritants come from the circumstances and situations and perhaps relationships we experience. Pearls are not made from passing circumstances or fleeting things that don’t affect us – they are produced when the pain and irritant lodge themselves in our souls and in our spirit.  No one but you knows the depth of your own heartache and the carried wounds of private pain & suffering.

The heart knows its own bitterness Prov. 14:10

Yet to embrace His perfect work in your life You must first accept His sovereignty, power and authority in your life and with the pain you experience and you must trust HIM.  You can trust Him because He "feels you".  Remember:  God the father has known the bitterness of heart over the betrayal of Lucifer and his angels.  The most beautiful creations in heaven who offered the most beautiful of all worship to him, rose against Him.  Jesus knows the bitterness of the soul over the mutiny and hatred of people.  Jesus is referred to in Isaiah 53:3 as “rejected by men”,  and John 1:1 he came to His own and His own did not receive him.”  The Word also tells us that He was tempted in all ways without sin, and I can imagine that some of that temptation was His reaction and response to those rejections. 

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We can trust a God the Father, we can trust Jesus, who has endured pain and through pain obtained the highest value and reward.  He knows that ultimate reward and perfection are achieved through suffering. We must trust His judgements and His ways because He has a wisdom about our suffering that sees the pearl at the end of the process and that natural pearl that is of the highest value can not be produced through a process without that pain.

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Job said in chapter 11:7 “Can you search out the deep things of God?  Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what can you know?Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.”

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Many times we question, "why do I have to go through this?"   We wonder why God can't just tell us the truth we need to know or just sit us down and lay it out and show us.  Why are we enduring such pain?  The answer is this; He is not interested in us just knowing a truth, but He desires us to become the truth.  He is interested in a transformation process where we aren't just knowing the Word but the Word of Truth is transforming the very core of who we are.  He wants us to become the living example and testimony of the beauty of His redemptive ability.  He wants people to gaze upon the beauty of His power and grace and without doubt recognize us as a handcrafted work of God.  Remember, we are the objects of His grace...an object of desire...a pearl.

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There is an African folklore story of the sea that says this: There once was an oyster who said to another, "I have a great pain within me.  It is heavy and round and I am in distress.  And the other oyster replied, "I have no pain within me.  I am well and whole both within and without."  At that moment a crab was passing by and heard the two oysters, and he said to the one who was well and whole both within and without, "Yes, you are well and whole, but the pain that your neighbor bears is a pearl of exceeding great beauty."

Remember the FORMER things...Isaiah 46:9

I know a lot of times we are told to NOT remember the former things. That truth is according to the scripture in Isaiah 43, when God is telling the Israelites to let go of the past that hinders them from laying hold of the new things in their future that He is giving them. But Isaiah 46 gives us a command to remember the FORMER things. This confirms that there is a time and season for everything.

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Today as I was in my reading and prayer time I was thinking about the power of purpose. I have a passion regarding purpose. I am convinced without doubt that we are all Divinely placed in our respective generations and geographic locations with works prepared in advanced for us to do and that the world is waiting with anticipation for the manifestation of that purpose so His Kingdom will come and His Will will be done on earth as it is in heaven! In fact, the scripture tells us the earth is groaning as it waits for us to manifest our purposes! However, I think that we, as those who are in the process of manifesting that purpose, also groan!  

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The journey to manifesting purpose for some is an arduous journey. We begin the journey many times on a zealously marked out path. As we continue, some of us find the paved road becomes a rough gravel that isn't as pleasant, but doable. Soon the road is just a beaten path, perplexing, but we are willing because it's adventurous. But when we are required to walk on with just a sickle in our hand to mark the path out ourselves into an unknown and uncharted territory, we groan! In a generation of GPS systems in our hands through our phones to tell us where we are and how to get to our destination at any given moment, having no perception of course or control to get us to our "purpose" thereof, makes continuing on to "manifest" our purpose unsettling.  

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That is when all we have to lead us is not ahead of us - but behind us! It is when what we know from the past settles and strengthens us to get us to our future. That is when we have to "go back" and remember the former things God has done, what He has spoken, the foundations He has laid, the tools He has imparted and continue on. That is when you have to think and meditate upon the tokens and memorials of His faithfulness and providence in your life that remind us that this too which we are experiencing is a part of His Divine course for our life.

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So today God showed me two tokens. He took me back to some former things to remember - to the wall of my bedroom as a child. On that wall were two pictures that I would lie in bed and stare up at every night trying to fall asleep. (All the people who know me, know I am a night person and that starts as a child who is put to bed early and can't go to sleep just the same!) One of the pictures was of Jesus with a staff in His left hand and His right hand knocking on a door. The second was of the two small children crossing a weary wooden bridge in the midst of a misty windy storm with a large Angel behind them extending It's hands in protection and guidance. 

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These two images solidified for me this morning the charted course of my life - the symbolisms too many to mention in full. The first picture is the image of the prayer the Pastor prayed over me at six years old as I gave my heart in true repentance to the Lord. I remember every word of his prayer at that old wooden altar as I wept and as he prayed the door of my heart was opening and Jesus was coming in to dine with me. This picture is the beginning of the manifestation of my purpose as it is the beginning of all Believer's purpose. It reminds me that He is with me and never leaves me no matter how isolated a path I am on. The second picture of the children crossing the bridge is the continued journey toward manifesting purpose. Regardless what I encounter, I will be safely delivered to the other side. (Pretty cool that it's a picture of two people...a boy and a girl...hmmmmm). 

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That was a kiss from God for me today. Those two pictures nailed to my wall by my mother or father some 40 years ago brought me comfort and reminders of God's hand on my life. Pictures that as a child I stared at seeking slumber actually encompassed my future. How sovereignly He does all things with calculated purpose; purpose to bless and prosper us and not to harm us. What do you need to remember today to get you to keep pounding the path? What former things do you need to recall? He has had the course to your life planned from the beginning. He is already at the end of it drawing you to the manifestation of your purpose and has placed along the way tokens and memorials of His providence. 

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"Remember the former things of old. For I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,"My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure." Is. 46:9

Refreshed Weekend -09 

We are thanking God for an amazing weekend with anointed worship, teaching, fellowship, fun and laughter.  But most of all we thank HIM for meeting with US!

We were truly REVIVED, RENEWED and REFRESHED!

Yes,I am totally refreshed from this past weekend.  It was awesome for me, I'm sure that you could tell I was FREE because of the Power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to leave all of my cares with HIM, thus, able to just have some FUN with everyone" (Velma)

"As a single mother, I have never had a weekend to myself to truly reflect. Not on the past, but on my future! I experienced many new things I thought were unreachable, physically and spiritually. I even got to try the Civeche'. I remember at one point while enjoying the lush landscape and waterfalls by the pool, I almost lost myself. Even called my aunt and told her I was selling the kids and moving in to the Hyatt!!!  The girls and I went shopping at St Armands Circle after the last service and I bought myself a beautiful pink CZ ring. A celebration of the new me!  The me who no longer sees the unattainable but now sees to the earths end and beyond."  (Kristen)

"I was extremely blessed having the opportunity to assist with praise and worship, getting my ugly, snotty look on in the Presence of the LORD  and getting a chance to spend some time with some of my sisters in Christ.
 Oh man, it's hard for me to explain in english words the awesome time I had!  Those who I have told about this weekend I found myself saying one of three things "Girl! You should have been there; or Girl! You needed to be there to experience it for yourself! Everything was done in excellence and elegance!" (Ava)

"Friday night was awesome !!  .. I am glad you let the evening go along as the Spirit led you …  Because of this service , I moved deeper and on a higher level of communicating and understanding of my Lord Jesus "  (Darlene)

"A whole lot of healing went on this weekend, a lot of hope restored, women strengthened, friendships forged." (Sandy)

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