I believe God is up to something very special for His children during this Christmas season. Many of us may not have been aware that Hanukkah just recently came to an end, as the eighth candle was lit during this sacred moment on God's calendar. Jews from all over the world commemorate the miracle of God's supernatural provision to His chosen people. One day's worth of oil remained ignited for eight complete days. Eight is always meaningful in that it represents a new beginning. As they gathered during this time many centuries ago to rededicate the temple to God and honor the Lord in their triumph over their oppressors, He sustained the light supernaturally for them. It was a beautiful moment of celebration of their God's provision, power, and faithfulness.
God always begins new things with sacrifice. He was sharing this with me recently as He was moving upon my heart in a deep and impactful way, I'll touch more on this is a moment. Some examples of new beginnings with sacrifice include the Day of Atonement that would happen only once a year, and included many sacrifices from God's children concerning the days ahead for them. Noah and his family, who made sacrifices to the Lord for not only his family, but for all mankind. Jesus, who gave the ultimate sacrifice that conquered sin, death, and the reign of darkness once and for all.
I want to share the picture that God has in mind for us corporately, but first let me explain what had been happening that brought this word from the Lord forth. Recently, my husband and I had been facing many fierce attacks from the enemy as the Lord commissioned us to take more territory for His Kingdom. We began to experience hardships like nothing we had faced before. I knew this was a pivotal moment, not only in our lives, but also in the body of Christ at large. What the enemy was meaning for harm, God was bringing about good.
The Encounter with the sweet presence of the Lord.
One evening in the midst of the ongoing torrent of troubles, I began to cry out to the Lord. I asked Him to come and I sat there weeping for what felt like hours. I knew I was not weeping just for my personal situation, but for those around me, for those the Lord uses me to minister to. The needs were overwhelming to say the least. Families falling apart, health deteriorating for many, hearts broken, and lives hurting in every way imaginable. My eyes were opened to see circumstances that I knew only God had the answers to, and so I cried out to Him in hopes He would answer.
All of sudden, I began to smell a very strong aroma of a wood scent mixed with the sweetness of cinnamon. Even the scent itself was hard to explain. I knew immediately it was the Lord and that He had indeed come. That's when I said "Lord, what is that, is it you?" He whispered, "yes, this is the scent of my presence, and I am with you." It was sweet but also a distinct woodsy scent. I had no idea what it meant but just that He was there. In His presence, I asked Him what He wanted me to do, and I assured Him that I would follow through with whatever it was. He gave me specific instructions, I obeyed, and within 48 hours our situation was being resolved in the most supernatural way. The peace that came from His visitation that evening has not left and the scent still lightly lingers.
I tell you all that to now share this. Prior to the situation being resolved, there was a request from the Lord for certain sacrifices that needed to be made in an intimate and personal way. He has asked me to share those with you and invite you into His presence for the same encounter of sacrifice, intimacy, surrender, and victory with the Lord that will usher in your new beginning. The results will amaze you, so for those who have ears to hear what the Spirit is seeking in this hour, I pray a blessing upon this word.
This season God is moving upon the true worshippers and it is their hearts the Lord is seeking. They will boldly come into His presence and not request gifts, but rather present gifts to the King that will open up a new beginning for them. God is actively looking for His worshippers and He is requesting great sacrifice for even greater rewards. His Spirit is moving mightily upon the Earth in search of those who are positioned to worship Him in both Spirit and in truth. The Lord is ready to receive the gifts of these ones. Just as the wise men came before their King with gifts in this season, God is asking for us to offer ourselves to Him in the gifts of sacrifice. These gifts He is seeking are much more precious than gold and will be received for a bountiful future harvest.
The first gift-the gold, our faith tried and tested, but pure.
The gift of gold has little to do with money, it is much more than that. It is your faith and trust in God your Father. As your faith has endured through the trials by fire, being purified and presented to the Lord as genuine, you will emerge with an unshakable confidence in God. Your faith in God will see the supernatural and become unstoppable against the wiles of the evil one. God longs to be trusted because He is trustworthy. We are to yield ourselves to the refining and processing of our faith to bring to the Lord that which is pure and authentic.
So that the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:7 AMP
The second gift- the aroma of frankincense, the sweetness of Christ.
The next gift has to do with a call to be a sweet aroma of Christ. Frankincense, if studied upon, has many properties in it that is said to promote peace and well-being. We are God's sons and daughters, the called-out ones, His peacemakers. I cannot think of a more opportune time for us to manifest the gift of His peace than the times we are facing today. This gift will not only benefit our King, but bless the world around us in need of the peace of God that only comes in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernable both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 2 Cor. 2:15 AMP
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Matthew 5:9 NKJV
We must remember that it is the children of God who have been blessed and are recipients to the inheritance that God has provided to us through His Son. We are called His sons, and we are blessed to be His peacemakers. This gift is especially important for these times. In the world, there will only be chaos, strife, division, discord, and dissensions of all sorts. We will continue to see the rise of anxiety and a lack of peace like never before in the world. The sons and daughters of God will carry the aroma of Christ and with it a mantle of peace for every storm.
The third gift-the gift of sacrifice and the anointing of myrrh.
There is something so beautiful in presenting this third gift to the Lord in this season. For those willing it will be a moment that is marked as no other. To understand the importance of this gift, you must first learn what the purpose of myrrh is and how it was used. Myrrh, was an anointment that was used most often in the embalming of the deceased. It had a similar scent as frankincense, but its purpose of use was very specific. In fact, I want to share with you one place the bible describes it being used for the Lord Jesus.
Now Nicodemus, who had once come to Jesus privately at night, accompanied Joseph, and together they carried a significant amount of myrrh and aloes to the cross. Then they took Jesus' body and wrapped it in strips of linen with the embalming spices according to the Jewish burial customs. John 19:39,40 TPT
God is asking for a gift of sacrifice in your surrender to His will and His way. You have your plans, promises, and visions from Him. They are good, they will indeed happen, but first they are returned to Him in surrender to His timing. He alone, is found to be your treasure, and you are indeed crucified with Christ. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 NKJV). Listen to this verse in the passion translation. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure.
God is ready to open these gifts in your heart.
Now I want you to look at what the Lord began to reveal to me, following this encounter in His presence. He began to explain and describe what these gifts were and how they were meant to be received by the King, just like the wise men who came from afar to present valuable gifts, so we are to do the same. Let's look at what the wise men did next upon entering the presence of the newborn King.
And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11 NKJV).
Upon beholding the Lord in this season as we seek Him just as the wise men in the days of His birth, we will see the true beauty of who He is and God with us. Our hearts will be pierced in the places of the fiery trials that bring forth a purified faith. This faith in Him, will seize every promise, and move every mountain. The sweet aroma of Christ will be carried everywhere we go, and the mantle of peace upon us will quiet every storm. In the place of deep surrender, an anointing will be birthed here. That anointing will destroy sin and every yoke of bondage. The light in us, burning brighter, will conquer darkness. All to the glory of God! We are His gift to the world; through the gift He has given to us, His precious Son.
May your Christmas season be blessed with sweet encounters in His presence, moments you open the treasures of your heart to Him, and so much more as you prepare to be used greatly for the glory of our King. There is something so beautiful and glorious emerging in this hour, let us enter into the new beginning God has been preparing us for. We are coming out of the fiery trials for His glory, and we will not even have the scent of smoke, for the sweet aroma of Christ will be strong upon us.
God always begins new things with sacrifice. He was sharing this with me recently as He was moving upon my heart in a deep and impactful way, I'll touch more on this is a moment. Some examples of new beginnings with sacrifice include the Day of Atonement that would happen only once a year, and included many sacrifices from God's children concerning the days ahead for them. Noah and his family, who made sacrifices to the Lord for not only his family, but for all mankind. Jesus, who gave the ultimate sacrifice that conquered sin, death, and the reign of darkness once and for all.
I want to share the picture that God has in mind for us corporately, but first let me explain what had been happening that brought this word from the Lord forth. Recently, my husband and I had been facing many fierce attacks from the enemy as the Lord commissioned us to take more territory for His Kingdom. We began to experience hardships like nothing we had faced before. I knew this was a pivotal moment, not only in our lives, but also in the body of Christ at large. What the enemy was meaning for harm, God was bringing about good.
The Encounter with the sweet presence of the Lord.
One evening in the midst of the ongoing torrent of troubles, I began to cry out to the Lord. I asked Him to come and I sat there weeping for what felt like hours. I knew I was not weeping just for my personal situation, but for those around me, for those the Lord uses me to minister to. The needs were overwhelming to say the least. Families falling apart, health deteriorating for many, hearts broken, and lives hurting in every way imaginable. My eyes were opened to see circumstances that I knew only God had the answers to, and so I cried out to Him in hopes He would answer.
All of sudden, I began to smell a very strong aroma of a wood scent mixed with the sweetness of cinnamon. Even the scent itself was hard to explain. I knew immediately it was the Lord and that He had indeed come. That's when I said "Lord, what is that, is it you?" He whispered, "yes, this is the scent of my presence, and I am with you." It was sweet but also a distinct woodsy scent. I had no idea what it meant but just that He was there. In His presence, I asked Him what He wanted me to do, and I assured Him that I would follow through with whatever it was. He gave me specific instructions, I obeyed, and within 48 hours our situation was being resolved in the most supernatural way. The peace that came from His visitation that evening has not left and the scent still lightly lingers.
I tell you all that to now share this. Prior to the situation being resolved, there was a request from the Lord for certain sacrifices that needed to be made in an intimate and personal way. He has asked me to share those with you and invite you into His presence for the same encounter of sacrifice, intimacy, surrender, and victory with the Lord that will usher in your new beginning. The results will amaze you, so for those who have ears to hear what the Spirit is seeking in this hour, I pray a blessing upon this word.
This season God is moving upon the true worshippers and it is their hearts the Lord is seeking. They will boldly come into His presence and not request gifts, but rather present gifts to the King that will open up a new beginning for them. God is actively looking for His worshippers and He is requesting great sacrifice for even greater rewards. His Spirit is moving mightily upon the Earth in search of those who are positioned to worship Him in both Spirit and in truth. The Lord is ready to receive the gifts of these ones. Just as the wise men came before their King with gifts in this season, God is asking for us to offer ourselves to Him in the gifts of sacrifice. These gifts He is seeking are much more precious than gold and will be received for a bountiful future harvest.
The first gift-the gold, our faith tried and tested, but pure.
The gift of gold has little to do with money, it is much more than that. It is your faith and trust in God your Father. As your faith has endured through the trials by fire, being purified and presented to the Lord as genuine, you will emerge with an unshakable confidence in God. Your faith in God will see the supernatural and become unstoppable against the wiles of the evil one. God longs to be trusted because He is trustworthy. We are to yield ourselves to the refining and processing of our faith to bring to the Lord that which is pure and authentic.
So that the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:7 AMP
The second gift- the aroma of frankincense, the sweetness of Christ.
The next gift has to do with a call to be a sweet aroma of Christ. Frankincense, if studied upon, has many properties in it that is said to promote peace and well-being. We are God's sons and daughters, the called-out ones, His peacemakers. I cannot think of a more opportune time for us to manifest the gift of His peace than the times we are facing today. This gift will not only benefit our King, but bless the world around us in need of the peace of God that only comes in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernable both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 2 Cor. 2:15 AMP
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Matthew 5:9 NKJV
We must remember that it is the children of God who have been blessed and are recipients to the inheritance that God has provided to us through His Son. We are called His sons, and we are blessed to be His peacemakers. This gift is especially important for these times. In the world, there will only be chaos, strife, division, discord, and dissensions of all sorts. We will continue to see the rise of anxiety and a lack of peace like never before in the world. The sons and daughters of God will carry the aroma of Christ and with it a mantle of peace for every storm.
The third gift-the gift of sacrifice and the anointing of myrrh.
There is something so beautiful in presenting this third gift to the Lord in this season. For those willing it will be a moment that is marked as no other. To understand the importance of this gift, you must first learn what the purpose of myrrh is and how it was used. Myrrh, was an anointment that was used most often in the embalming of the deceased. It had a similar scent as frankincense, but its purpose of use was very specific. In fact, I want to share with you one place the bible describes it being used for the Lord Jesus.
Now Nicodemus, who had once come to Jesus privately at night, accompanied Joseph, and together they carried a significant amount of myrrh and aloes to the cross. Then they took Jesus' body and wrapped it in strips of linen with the embalming spices according to the Jewish burial customs. John 19:39,40 TPT
God is asking for a gift of sacrifice in your surrender to His will and His way. You have your plans, promises, and visions from Him. They are good, they will indeed happen, but first they are returned to Him in surrender to His timing. He alone, is found to be your treasure, and you are indeed crucified with Christ. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 NKJV). Listen to this verse in the passion translation. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure.
God is ready to open these gifts in your heart.
Now I want you to look at what the Lord began to reveal to me, following this encounter in His presence. He began to explain and describe what these gifts were and how they were meant to be received by the King, just like the wise men who came from afar to present valuable gifts, so we are to do the same. Let's look at what the wise men did next upon entering the presence of the newborn King.
And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11 NKJV).
Upon beholding the Lord in this season as we seek Him just as the wise men in the days of His birth, we will see the true beauty of who He is and God with us. Our hearts will be pierced in the places of the fiery trials that bring forth a purified faith. This faith in Him, will seize every promise, and move every mountain. The sweet aroma of Christ will be carried everywhere we go, and the mantle of peace upon us will quiet every storm. In the place of deep surrender, an anointing will be birthed here. That anointing will destroy sin and every yoke of bondage. The light in us, burning brighter, will conquer darkness. All to the glory of God! We are His gift to the world; through the gift He has given to us, His precious Son.
May your Christmas season be blessed with sweet encounters in His presence, moments you open the treasures of your heart to Him, and so much more as you prepare to be used greatly for the glory of our King. There is something so beautiful and glorious emerging in this hour, let us enter into the new beginning God has been preparing us for. We are coming out of the fiery trials for His glory, and we will not even have the scent of smoke, for the sweet aroma of Christ will be strong upon us.
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