("God's Unfolding Message" Series 1, Post 11)
*This is a very important message and I hope that you will be called to read it, but if you are, I encourage you to go back and read some previous messages within "God's Unfolding Message," for God builds upon His word to us and this will make a lot more sense if you look back, for even as God points out through this word, history is important.
*A Messianic church is one where Jew and Gentile Christians worship together, incorporating Jewish customs in their worship, and celebrating all of God’s appointed feasts and festivals as laid out in the Old Testament.
*Purim is the celebration of Queen Esther and what she and Mordechai did to save God’s people from the plot of Haman. If Haman’s plot had not been thwarted, God’s people or the line that led to Jesus Christ, would have been destroyed. But God always saves that which leads to Christ and God wants our lives as well, as His Stars, to also lead others, especially future generations, to Christ Jesus.
3-22-22
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Thursday, March 17th was Purim and I loved that the “Esther” shirt with Esther 4:14 on it that I chose to wear that day was also green, for it was also St. Patrick’s Day.
God romanced me through two entities with the same name that day. First, my mother-in-law with this name, text me and wondered where my daughter was, for those over at her house had already decided to have her over, so this left me with an entire day by myself and I knew this was from the Lord. Once I got home from dropping her off, I instantly went into my time with the Lord and He spoke, after which he told me to celebrate, to do no work but to enjoy this day of Purim.
God then romanced me through a store with the same name as my mother-in-law. I went out and had fun and went shopping, but no store made my spirit perk up with such an intense peace as when I saw this store down the lane from where I was at. I found so many things to romance me and they were all half off, signs that talk about how spring has come and that it is my time to bloom, but what I love the most is finding exactly what I’d been looking for, a headband with stars on it. It was marked down greatly because you could tell that it had been for Christmas. What God brought to my mind is how during my last Purim celebration, or my coming out party in 2013, that He had used this same store to bring the perfect skirt into my life, one that I ended up dancing in that night that matched the cover of a magazine that came out that same day with my picture on the cover. History was repeating itself. I had already scheduled a pedicure with my daughter for the following day, her first ever being only 4. I scheduled it because it was spring break and I was trying to find fun things to do with her in bad weather, but in my heart, while God brought my past to my mind because of this particular store, I knew God had another reason for it and that because of this that He also probably wanted us to go to my old Messianic church for the Purim celebration that Friday night.
God did want us to go. But first, He set the stage. He continued to speak about future generations and our need to prepare them. For, while I was out shopping Thursday on Purim, I had a strange encounter. I had an encounter with a lady in another store, an encounter God used to prove to me how little His people are open right now to new (although history is not new). Anyway, I saw a lady shopping with her daughter, wearing the exact same t-shirt that I was wearing and in the same color. This amazed me because I knew for a fact that this t-shirt could only be purchased online from a rather obscure store. Plus, I also knew that you could buy it in other colors. So, the fact that she was wearing this “Esther” shirt with Esther 4:14, and in green, well, I knew God was giving me a divine appointment to share with this lady that the day was Purim. I thought that she would appreciate knowing this and delight with me that we also were in green for St. Patrick’s Day. Well, with God’s revelation later, I know that it was a divine appointment but not for the reason I expected. God used this moment to speak about something else. For, much to my surprise, this lady didn’t join in my excitement over what I was telling her, instead she looked at me like I was crazy and I could tell by her demeanor that she was not interested in what I had to say. She listened briefly but said nothing in return. She simply moved away, continued shopping, and made me feel like I had been a Jehovah’s witness or Mormon at her door. What bothered me the most about the situation is that it was clearly a divine appointment. We had the exact same shirt on and when I saw her shirt my spirit perked up greatly and I knew I needed to approach her. But how different our perspectives, for she obviously didn’t see it that way.
Like I said, God brought me revelation towards this moment as the day went on, especially since I couldn’t stop thinking about it and how strange it was. And, the revelation that God revealed to me isn’t positive revelation. Sadly, He showed me that this woman is very representative of a lot of the church today. They parade around Bible verses on their T-shirts but really have no idea of their significance or that these verses or words truly came forth from someone’s testimony, someone from long ago. For this lady acted like this verse was just a slogan to live by, but those were the actual words given by Mordecai to Queen Esther to help her face her fear, ultimately God’s calling on her life to face death in order to save His people. I get that she didn’t recognize the word “Purim” but she also looked confused when I said the name Esther. Had she read the Old Testament? Did she know that was a Bible verse? Does she think it is out of the New Testament? All these questions came to my mind.
History is worth knowing and Purim is worth celebrating because this was just one more point in time where the enemy tried to cut off the line that led to Jesus Christ. This Old Testament story that many may find irrelevant today actually points to Jesus Christ and to the spiritual battle that has always been ongoing. We needed people like Esther and we still need people like Esther. Know your history.
What God then brought to my mind was something He just said to me through His last prophetic word, that many will not to open to new, to His New Spring, or revival, because of His chosen methods, methods that He pointed out are not really new at all, just forgotten. My friends, be aware or you may miss out. But even sadder is what God said next about that. He said that a far worse consequence or reality will be that we will have failed to prepare our children, the next generation. This lady had a daughter with her and so it makes since that the final thing that God brought to my mind is how different my daughter’s life experience will be from this lady’s daughter. My daughter will know who Esther is and the importance of her testimony, mostly because my daughter will hear and experience in great fullness my own testimony that has and is being written through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The following day, Friday, I prayed to see if God wanted us to go to the Messianic church’s Purim celebration. He told me to go because in doing so I would be able to celebrate with people that get it, who understand the significance and importance of celebrating Esther and all the important history within the Bible. In my spirit I knew He was right and I am so glad we went.
Looking back now, I can see clearly that this Purim season and celebration this year was more for my daughter than for me. For, several years ago, as I mentioned, God gave me my Purim celebration, using this festival and my church’s celebration of it to give me my own New Spring. There is much to this story but for now I will tell you that it started when God introduced me to His appointed times and festivals as laid out in the Old Testament. I attended a Christian women’s conference with a friend. I knew God wanted me to attend and so in the midst of it, hearing the main speaker talk about God’s appointed times and being confused by this chosen topic, I asked God what He wanted me to learn from this. At that time, I was a woman still waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promise that my bridegroom would return to me, a promise God proved by writing my bridegroom’s name in the clouds. Because of this, God’s response made sense to me. For God said, “Susan, if you honor My appointed times, I will honor yours.” So, to make a long story short (the full story can be read in “Bridegroom in the Clouds: Book One- The Promise” and Bridegroom in the Clouds: Book Two – Bridge Stories), God led me to honor His appointed times as laid out in the Old Testament, and He did some awesome things to show me their importance. What He revealed to me, and through this guest speaker at this women’s conference, is that the main reason to still celebrate them is that they become rehearsals of things to come. For instance, someday we will hear that trumpet blast at Christ’s return on the clouds, so why not rehearse during the Feast of Trumpets where we are commanded to blow the trumpet or the shofar.
Anyway, again to make a long (but wonderful) story short, after I accepted God’s challenge and honored all of God’s appointed times for an entire year, the last festival to celebrate was Purim. And on this day, and during this season of celebration, God in fact did honor my own appointed time, or His promise to me, for not only did He give me a form of a coming out during this Purim celebration by placing my face on the cover of a magazine that same day, but my bridegroom finally asked my dad for my hand in marriage. My Bridegroom came! And a shofar did blast at our wedding.
You know, that lady in the store also had a daughter with her. How different our daughters will be raised. How differently they will be prepared because of my willingness to be open to the Creator, who can and desires to make all things new, even the old. The whole reason I even got into celebrating God’s appointed times was at His request, and His reasoning at first was that He wanted to introduce me to something new. I didn’t understand His statement at first because I thought I knew everything about God and the Bible. Don’t get me wrong, I know we cannot know everything but I couldn’t wrap my brain around what He could possibly introduce me to that I had no knowledge of at all. But He did. He was right. He brought New into my life, a new level of understanding of Him and His word, and He used history and the stories of those in the Old Testament to do it.
Well, that is my story, but like I said, this year God revealed that this Purim and the events surrounding it were more for my daughter than for me, for my future generation. Like I said, I had been inspired to make a pedicure appointment for me and my daughter on Friday. The place that we went to was at a place I had never been to before, one that my mother uses. When I got there, I instantly knew that it wasn’t by accident that God had chosen this particular place, for it is all about STARS after all. I have always felt a strong connection to Esther since my own coming out season because God revealed to me that not only does Esther mean “star” but that my middle name and now also my daughter’s middle name also means “star.” Now you know why I was so delighted to find a headband with stars on it for I like to wear stars during Purim in honor of Queen Esther but also in honor of all of us, God’s Stars meant to shine like she did.
Anyway, with that said, I knew it wasn’t by accident that this nail salon was not only called “Stella” which means “star” but also that the logo above this name looked like the star of Bethlehem. I knew God was at work, and I knew that like Queen Esther His Star that He was going to pamper both of these Stars in preparation for yet another Purim coming out celebration, this time for my daughter, my future generation. I love the color of polish that my little 4-year-old chose as well, especially after I decided to also use whatever she picked on my own toes. She picked a sparkly royal purple. How appropriate.
With our sparkly toes, my daughter dressed like Queen Esther and I, along with my husband, went to the Purim celebration and it rivaled that one long ago, for I haven’t danced that much or as joyfully since that last one and I know God orchestrated things to make this happen. I won’t go into all the details but God took care of any obstacle I would have had towards dancing or feeling unwelcome since we hadn’t been to this church in a while. He made a way once again for me to dance and to worship uninhibitedly and to do so next to my daughter. And as the evening went on, again, I could see that this was actually more of a celebration for my daughter than for me. A lady that was in charge even announced how God had answered her prayers for the number of children that were there, and I know it wasn’t by accident that there were multiple 4-year-old girls there which of course delighted my daughter, for I was told this wasn’t normal. She danced and danced and danced with them, waving her flag of praise. They then had a contest to see which child had the best costume, and although they had a prize for each kid, I know it again wasn’t by accident that my little one got the prize for “the most sparkly,” for she is a Star after all. Oh, God’s people, from generation to generation, we are all a part of God’s Wonderful Web of Wonder, His Stars sown together throughout History meant to shine Christ’s light for the world to see. Let’s not let the enemy once again try and thwart our line to Christ, our voice, our testimonies meant to be a bridge that leads others to Christ. Satan wants to stop us from shining, to stop God’s Stars from shining the light of Jesus Christ.
As I watched my daughter dressed like Queen Esther, dance and praise the Lord, I had this intense deep sense of security, peace, and assurance that my daughter is going to be raised by someone who gets it, by someone open to God’s newness through His Holy Spirit. And that because of this, no matter what comes her way within her lifetime, within the desert, she will be equipped. She will be equipped the way Esther was, to go forth without fear and boldness, to do whatever she needs to do in order to obey God within the battle around her. Although I love how God uses Disney princesses in my life, (again something my testimony is filled with) I don’t want to forget that Esther was a real one, one that we should emulate more so than any fictional character. Our children are going to be living through a time when they have to truly know from the deepest parts of their souls that they are Kings and Queens of the Lord Most High. It will be imperative, so we have to start now preparing them through the testimonies of those then and by us now. I need to prepare my daughter through Esther’s story, that previous Star, and through my own story, this modern Star, for soon it will also be her turn to shine her Star light. And so on and so on it goes, for this is God’s design. The way He has always done things, from generation to generation, always weaving that Wonderful Web of Wonder (His Stars Aligned).
The following day, my daughter wanted to go to her grandma’s house yet again and as I dropped her off, God spoke through something my mother-in-law said. For after talking about our Purim celebration the night before, she decided to tell me about a friend of hers who she said didn’t like the book of Esther. Her friend’s reasoning is that she doesn’t like history. You can only imagine my face! Whoa to you if you share this women’s opinion, for if you dismiss history, or the Old Testament, you are missing out on over half of the words that God has ever spoken through His people, even Esther herself. Like God did in my life, opening us up to new is really Him opening us up to simply ALL of Him, the Old and New together. As God went on to say to me in church the following day, He doesn’t want us to live a half-life.
On Sunday at church, I noticed that the woman whose husband had just passed away was once again in church, two days after her husband’s funeral. She came up to me wearing a black sweater with brightly colored sequenced butterflies all over it. I told her that I liked her butterflies and she began to reference that it was the first day of spring, after which she repeatedly kept using the word “regeneration.” She glowed as she kept saying that God was showing her regeneration, “that out of death comes new life, a transition into spring.” God was speaking. After she left me, He then told me to write this down:
Susan, through you My people will be awakened. Though many seasons remain, time is limited. Let My people hear the words of Faith – “They better push that button because time is running out.” A true desert is coming Susan. Those that willingly step into it in faith and expectation of Me showing up for them will rise and shine, but those that simply find themselves landed there will not be prepared. This is why I offer a season of grace and of repentance and revival. This will be a season of newness. A season of refreshment. It will be for all though not all will partake. However, no matter which path is taken all will find themselves within the desert. Susan, your testimony will summon forth their testimonies. Through you they will see Me anew though I have not changed. I have not moved, it’s My people that have moved. The drunkenness of time has taken hold of them but revival is upon you, all of you. I will awaken My people from this slumber and they will rise, they will shine, shine like the noonday sun. Rise up My people. Rise and shine. This woman is your wakeup call. Though her voice is soft, I can assure you that her message is strong. I am behind her message for I am the Word of her testimony. Susan, proclaim truth. Lift your head high and don’t be afraid to cry out - EVERY WORD. Every word Susan. EVERY WORD. Don’t hold back. New life. New life. New life. Susan, bring My people new life. I command you to bring them new life. May your words bring life. Your words are My words. A New Spring My people, a new spring is here. Feel it. Breathe it in. I am the God of newness - NEWNESS. Be revived. Be refreshed. Breathe in My Spirit. He is willing and ready to equip you with newness, and refilling. Regenerate - get to know that word well. My people out of mercy I will regenerate you. I will bring you back to life. Out of the grave like Lazarus. Death has no victory. Death where is your sting? I have conquered death, now let Me conquer your fear of living, of truly being alive. Better to die than cease too truly live. My people no more living a half-life - half dead, half alive. I died on the cross so that My people could be FULLY alive. FULLY ALIVE. No more weakness, no more drunkenness - ARISE. Arise and take full possession of what is yours - life in My Spirit. He has been dormant within your life for too long. Why? Why My people? Satan. Satan has deceived you and paralyzed you with fear. Rise up. It is time to rise up. Like the flowers in bloom within this new spring, rise up. Rise up and bloom, fully bloom. Oh, what a day. Oh, what a day. I long for such a day.
REGENERATION. REVIVAL. No matter what you want to call it, it is highly upon you, My people. Breathe. Breathe it in. Accept this gift.
Future generations need your breath My people. They need your revived spirits for they need My Spirit. They won’t truly survive their futures without Him but He passes through you, through your examples and your testimonies. The Bible is filled with examples of generations that thrived due to the loyalty to God of their ancestors and those that greatly fell away due to the disobedience of their forefathers. Which of these will you be? Rise up and be a generation that offers the next generation life, newness, and regeneration. Re - Re - Re generation. This signifies a do-over, redemption. Re - demption. Re - redo, Reignite, rekindle, renew, re - My people. Regain the Refiner’s fire, regain re-demption. Regain a renewed understanding of YAHWEH - The Giver of ALL life. Re, re, return to Me, The giver of a New Spring. Renew your walk with Me and I will relight your fire, the Holy Spirit’s fire within you. Regenerate My people. Revolution - this is what this will bring, true revolution and revival. Return. Return. Re-turn to Me My people. Turn around. In a world headed back to Egypt, to slavery, go against the flow and return to Me. I am in the desert My people. I am there waiting for you. Take those steps of faith and meet Me here. I will show up for you here in mighty ways. Take that step of faith. Amen and Amen.
After I was done writing, the man that gives the announcements, the one once again that recently broke up with his girlfriend, stood up and said, “Our God of love believes in restoration.” Amen. He then shared his testimony about how although he recently has wanted to stay home and hide during this hard time in his life, that God had other plans to bring him, “new life even after the death of his relationship.” He then shared how God had recently used him unexpectedly during this hard season to bring salvation to a family member.
After this he then announced that our “teacher letters” were due next week. Some of us write letters to inspire the teachers at a local school and I thought that they were due this Sunday. So, I was blessed to know that I had another week. Although this little scenario seems insignificant, man did my spirit perk up when two words came to my mind: Grace Period. I was given a grace period, more time to get something done. I knew God was speaking and what came to my mind is a new verse to the song God has been writing through my little 4-year-old Faith, one He actually just referenced in His words to us. He also brought to my mind the fact that I have only ever heard her sing this in the car. She never sings it anywhere else. This is God’s way of keeping His message “It’s Turbo Time” on our minds and also a message through which He already called me His Turbo Button. Anyway, the other day she added a verse. Once again, I asked her if she made this song up. She said, “No. My brain did.” The new verse was: Time is running out. Time is running out. You better push that button or it will be too late for you. Yes. Yes. Yes, it will.”
We’ve got letters to write my friends, love letters to our future generations. We are their teachers. We are their examples. They need to know about our God and the power He offers through His Holy Spirit for ALL battles, the old ones and those to come. Let’s give thanks for our grace period, but also know that time is running out.
I was a little frustrated that I had to stop writing this message to take my mom somewhere but then God revealed to me that this too had purpose. Although I won’t go into the details as to why my mom needed me to take her, it is clear that God orchestrated a lot just to make sure I took her to her pedicure appointment today, for I knew exactly how to get there because my daughter and I had just been there. I took her to “Stella.” What God brought to my mind is: “Generations of Stars.” I am a sandwich generation, nestled between my mother whom I am named after and my daughter who is named after me. Male, female, young and old, God cares about all of His Stars. He wants to reveal our stories to each one of us, from generation to generation. I don’t know if my mom ever knew she had a story worth telling, but what I say to her now, I say to all of you: Shine! Shine Stars, Shine. Shine like the noonday sun. God is waiting to reveal your story to you, His story – HIStory.
Regenerate - To form, construct, or create anew
To give new life or energy to; revitalize