Time To Cross Over To A New Day
Christine Beadsworth
South Africa
Apr 2, 2009
Daily Beauty treatments for the Bride
Beloved of the Lord
May His peace be your portion. I have just completed a month sabbatical from this daily devotional and as I prepared to get into the harness again, found myself in a predicament – I had absolutely no desire to write anything. Nor would any subject come to mind for the first devotional. It took me a while to understand why but I now have clarity and so must share with you that I will no longer be continuing with Daily Beauty Treatments for the Bride as I sense the Lord clearly saying that their season is now over. There is no grace provided for any task that the Lord has not commanded and it would be foolishness for me to attempt to continue writing in my own strength.
As I absorbed this news from the throne, I wrestled with a feeling of responsibility for all the new folk who have signed up in 2009 and asked, “how can I just let them down when they have only just signed up ?” but once I submitted to what the Lord was instructing me, then the revelation came flowing in freely as to why the season was changing. ( herein is a lesson in itself – God is looking for obedience before understanding is given. He wants us to trust His superior wisdom and bow our knee to His will and then when we are a willing sacrifice laid on the altar, then He shows us why we had to do as He instructed!)
We are presently in a pivotal time in God's calendar. Saturday is the 10th Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which is the tenth day of the first month. It is the anniversary of the crossing of the Jordan after forty years in the wilderness. Finally the people of God crossed the threshold and began to experience the inheritance which they had been promised and which they had pressed towards for so many years. It marked a significant change in many areas, one of which was that the manna ceased the day after Passover (15th Nisan) and they ate the fruit of the land from that point on.
Seeing as this daily devotional has been like daily manna received during the journey and preparation time for entering the experience of the promise, it is fitting that the Lord should decide that the time of receiving it has come to an end. Someone I shared with asked if the beauty treatments are then complete and is the Bride then ready? I can only say this season of beauty treatments is complete. God has something new in mind – a deeper and richer experience of Christ who is our inheritance! I would encourage you to read the account in Joshua chapters 1 and 2 over this weekend.
A prophetic sign of this is occurring with my friend Jan Lewis. He is getting married to Bronwyn on the 10th Nisan. Both of them are mature in years and have been in spiritual preparation away from the eyes of man in past years. Jesus is looking for a mature Bride, not one whose head is filled with teenage romantic dreams. Their teacher has been the Spirit Himself and now on this pivotal date, they are crossing over into the experience of marriage. The bride in this case is certainly ready! Bronwyn means 'white breast' which speaks of purity of heart and Jan means 'gift of God'. As Christ is the gift that God so freely gave, we see here a prophetic picture of the Bridegroom, Christ, entering into deep intimacy with His Bride under an open heaven on the anniversary of that first crossing into the Promised Land.
Just as Rebbecca journeyed through the desert on her way to her face to face appointment with her groom and finally alighted from her camel and stepped into a new chapter, so too, you as the Bride of Christ, are transitioning into a new chapter in the unfolding of God's eternal purposes for you. You will not need that camel any longer. You have reached the crossing point. In the same way, these devotionals may have been a blessing to you; they may have carried you and helped in bringing you to this point. However they are no longer necessary for your spiritual preparation. God has something new in mind as He ministers to you face to face and fills your vessel with oil so that you are not found amongst the foolish virgins when the call goes lout at midnight.
It has been an honor and a rich joy-filled experience to sit and receive these daily portions for you. I pray that they have nourished and ministered as only Truth can. Thank you for the many emails of encouragement I have received in return. I can only say I look forward eagerly with you towards this new thing that our God is taking us into. May we have eyes that see and ears that hear and a heart that understands all that the Spirit is doing in this hour. We are surely entering the most amazing period that the Church has ever had the privilege to experience!
With great love in Him
Christine
p.s. I will leave the year's Daily Beauty Treatments in the archives at www.Injesus.com, should you wish to access them at any time in the next few months.