Hedged in by God's Grace: Trying to Dance with Her Grave Clothes On

Monday, February 20, 2012

Trying to Dance with Her Grave Clothes On

And she's tripping and looking pretty foolish. The Bride trying to dance with her rags of death is not a pretty sight. She longs to dance gracefully with her Bridegroom and show off her mysterious beauty. She knows how to dance but she's clumsy and so frustrated with those death sheets around her ankles that she decides to just sit out the song....Who will come along and remove her from her shame? Some say the grave clothe represent her shame and not choosing to be righteous? Really? The BRIDE is made clean...totally pure, white and holy as the Spirit of Christ has come to reside in her. So she could not **BE** the Bride if she was filled with shame. No these rags are residual of her memory of her old dead sin nature. She is still clinging to them because someone has told her they belong to her. It's not WHO she is.....It's not Christ. It's a wrong mind set.

This was the image that the Holy Spirit showed me today about the frustration of the Church. She is a New and Glorious Creation because of the supernatural exchange of Christ becoming sin so that we His Bride could become righteous. It is a mystery! It's supernatural! The Good News that Jesus came and paid the complete price for sin, sorrow, sickness and any lack ***IS*** the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. But it seems the preachers and teachers believe this is not a fact that we exchanged the old nature for a new one in Christ. The old sin nature was crucified with Christ was buried and now we are risen with Him seated in our heavenly place with Christ at the right hand of the Father. (Eph 2:6)

Paul encourages the believer in Hebrews 12 "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." It seems this image is like tripping in your grave clothes. If it were an internal heart issue then an image of being cleansed would be in order. Running a race required us to be free from anything heavy or burdensome. I have been dragging around so much stuff and believing that it is part of me. If I just realize I can run or dance with my Bridegroom then I would not believe that I own these rags! Paul also said, "Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." NEW SELF. If I see myself as an old creation being fixed up then I will continually think there is one more thing to be fixed before I can DANCE!!!! If I believe that I'm a Brand New CREATION then I can dance or run today.

And keep in mind that my dancing is not going to look like your dancing. Just keeping my eyes fixed on my Savior and my steps will be sure.

Psalms 16

¹ Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

² O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
³ As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

⁴ Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

⁵ O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

⁷ I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
⁸ I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
¹⁰ For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
¹¹ You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

About me.

My full testimony is posted in May 2009 but it's quite long so I thought a condensed version would be good.

I started this blog to give glory to God because I was healed and delivered from long-term depression and debilitating anxiety. I was on medication for over 10 years and over the years God brought me to a place to believe for my healing. It was not an over night process and I had to and still have to rely on God to maintain my healing but it's been well over a year and I'm praising God for continuing to teach me how to stand on His Word and I thank Him daily for my healing.

Psalms 16 is an outline that God revealed to me to help others recognize their need for healthy boundaries with others, boundaries our Heavenly Father provides and how to know when the enemy is encroaching on the rich heritage that God has provided through salvation in Jesus Christ.