Coming into an intimate place of Communion with Jesus
The Garden Catalogue For Today
Ps Susan Hammer – Cry of an Eagle Revival Ministries (South Africa)
Communion tells us of the JOY that was set before Jesus, giving Him the Motivation to go through the Pain and the Shame of the Cross
Click Here for the Notes from the above communion session.
Isa 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Our Worship Song for the Week:
Thank You Jesus for the Blood
Song by Charity Gayle
I was a wretch
I remember who I was
I was lost, I was blind
I was running out of time
Sin separated
The breach was far too wide
But from the far side of the chasm
You held me in your sight
So You made a way
Across the great divide
Left behind Heaven’s throne
To build it here inside
And there at the cross
You paid the debt I owed
Broke my chains, freed my soul
For the first time I had hope
Thank you Jesus for the blood applied
Thank you Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank you Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
You took my place
Laid inside my tomb of sin
You were buried for three days
But then You walked right out again
And now death has no sting
And life has no end
For I have been transformed
By the blood of the lamb
Thank You Jesus for the blood applied (thank You Jesus)
Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
There is nothing stronger
Than the wonder working power of the blood
The blood
That calls us sons and daughters
We are ransomed by our Father
Through the blood
The blood
There is nothing stronger
Of the wonder working power of the blood
The blood
That calls us sons and daughters
We are ransomed by the Father
Through the blood
The blood
Thank You Jesus for the blood applied
Thank You Jesus, it have washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
Glory to His name
Glory to His name
There to my heart was the blood applied
Glory to His name
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Charity Gayle / Bryan Mccleery / David Gentiles / Ryan Kennedy / Steven Musso
Thank You Jesus for the Blood lyrics © Centricity Music Publishing, Watershed Worship Publishing, Mccleery Msc, Steven Musso Music, Gather House Music
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength this is my Testimony and the meaning of my name Hilary = Hilarious!!
By Dr Hilary Moroney
A crisis hit my life when in late December 1994 my first husband announced he was leaving me with 2 children aged 6 and 4. I had emigrated to Australia to marry him in 1984. All my family and relatives were in UK. I was alone in the world and felt utterly desolate and abandoned. Another lady was in his life. I cried out to God in total desperation.
This was soon after my parents had visited from UK for a few weeks. I had been attending a local church and had joined the choir there. There had been much opposition to my going to church. I was in a very dark place with much trauma surfacing from my childhood at home since my parent’s visit. On 31 December I was overwhelmed with a sense of ‘darkness and grief’. I felt I could not go back to this church that I’d been attending, although I loved the singing in the choir. I had been invited to go to another church by a kind couple who I had met, who had been helping me and my husband with marriage counselling. They had come to our house faithfully every Monday night.
On 1 January 1995, I woke up in despair and decided to go to this church and I took my children. The people were very welcoming and offered to receive my children in children’s church so that I would have some peace in the service. At the end of the sermon, there was an altar call and invitation to come up for prayer and to 100% rededicate our lives to Jesus, to become fully our Lord and Shepherd. My heart broke and I thought I’d never stop weeping, so I went up and a kind lady prayed with me and asked me if I could forgive my husband and myself, and would I like to be Born Again? I had no idea what that meant.
So, she invited me for a coffee and took me through Jesus’ teaching Nicodemus saying’ in John 3:3 ‘Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’. I was convicted that I had been trying to run my life myself, and I repented of this and many things and recommitted my life to Jesus. Sthe lady asked me if I knew the Holy Spirit? I said “no”. She asked me if I would like to receive the Love, Joy and Peace of the Lord Jesus in my heart through receiving his Holy Spirit? I felt this desperate cry burst up from my guts ‘YES’!!! She was so honest. She said she’d never prayed for anyone to receive the Holy Spirit before, but she knew it would help if I just opened my mouth and let my tongue move loosely. So, I did. She said she’d pray’ in tongues’ which she did and I thought it sounded strange – I had no idea about that either. She put her hand on my abdomen.
Amazing! Suddenly my tongue was moving, and I was speaking out a few sounds as a great passion and JOY hit my heart. I shifted from unstoppable crying and grief to incontrollable laughing and Joy as I received the Holy Spirit and was born again. How awesome and good is our God! Thankyou Jesus…..What a relief.
I later discovered in Neh 8:10, that when God restored His people Israel, who He had returned from exile in Babylon back to Jerusalem, they listened to His words of Covenant from the Bible at His Feast. But their hearts broke in sorrow and conviction to repent, as they realised how they had not lived their lives according to God’s ways and Word. Nehemiah:
said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
This is exactly how I had felt and what happened to me – Instead of staying in sorrow any more, I needed chose the Lord every day to be in first place; to choose His Blessings instead of the curses, His Life instead of the death and sorrow, His Light instead of darkness and to receive His Holy Spirit to keep forgiving so that I could rise up again into His Love, Peace and Joy. God was very kind and brought some amazing people into my life.
Picking up my daughter from pre-school one day, her friend’s mother, Julie, came up to me and said ‘God wanted me to know Eph 2:10, that He knows me by name and has a specific call and purpose for my life. This truth exploded in my spirit with JOY and completely changed the trajectory of my life. I then desired to live to discover and fulfil it.
‘ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’
I later discovered from Rom 14:17 that this gift of JOY was the Kingdom of God, Holy Spirit entering into my human spirit. This was Jesus regenerating my spirit and broken heart from death to LIFE! Filling me with His Abundant Life…establishing the Truth of His promise, that He would never leave me or forsake me, NO Not Never. This reality changed my life, I knew that I could always be with Him for ever and ever.
I was on Fire for Jesus…..and over the next seasons, although the Lord Jesus took me through many valley’s, I came to know Him as my Lord and Shepherd. He proved that He protected me and my children through many miracles and guided me every step of the way. On the way He gave me much joy, love and peace in His presence as I hungered for His Living Word and kept reading my Bible.
I came to know in my heart that God my Father is my good good father. He loved me and all people. He did not punish, hurt or condemn me and would never change His mind. He would be there with me always even carrying me right through to the end of my earthly life even as in Isa 40:10-11
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
So many times in the early evening, Jesus would call me out into the garden or out to be with Him in the sunset. In the beauty of the green garden, to go down to a lake with the colours in the sky reflecting, or when He gave me rainbows, I would be as a little child as if in Eden again with my heavenly Father in the cool of the evening. It was as if I was caught up in wonder, and His inexpressible Joy that would fill me, strengthen and sustain me to keep pressing on, to keep singing and praising him again and again.
Surely our Good Father of Light, in whom there is no shadow or turning, James 1:17, is faithful to keep His promises to us as in Isa 61:1-3
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
The Lord is so gracious how He brings encouragement to us in the midst of our brokenness. His plan is that where we have been weakened, by His grace He makes us strong. Through our suffering He sensitises us to have compassion and mercy towards others with emotional pain. Jesus empowers us with His gifts of exhortation and encouragement to the body of Christ
Apostle Paul writes about our God given gifts to serve His Kingdom and people in Romans 12:8
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
I was personally so delighted one day when the Lord highlighted this verse to my heart and the notes of my Bible. He highlighted the meaning of this Greek word ‘Hilarotes’, meaning cheerfulness to comfort His people, a word like my name.
This word is Strong’s #2432; Compare “hilarious” with “hilarity.” Graciousness, joyfulness, gladness, benevolence, amiability, cheerfulness, gaiety, affability. In some lands, Bible translators define ‘hilarotes’ as, “the heart is laughing and the eyes are dancing.” The word was often used for the cheerful demeanor of those visiting the sick and infirm, and of those giving alms. The person who exhibits ‘hilarotes’ is a sunbeam lighting up a sick room with warmth and love.
I used to be a nurse and midwife. When I read this, my heart was warmed within me, and the Lord filled my heart with the desire to live this meaning of my name for His love and light to shine forth by his Spirit that so many might be touched by His love and truth and be saved.
Jesus prayed this blessing of His Joy and glory be for us all, for the glory of His Name. May we repent and return to Him whole heartedly and tell Him everyday; ‘I choose you again my Lord my beloved and I give myself to you again as I share this Communion with You again today. If there is anything lacking in me or sickness in my body, Lord please Heal me and make me whole. Consecrate me dear Lord and humble me.’
Lord open our eyes to see you as you really are,
James 4:8 AMP Come close to God (with a contrite heart) and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your (unfaithful) hearts, you double minded people, consecrate yourselves to the Lord.
Let us realign with God’s Covenant with us and return to Him to find times of refreshing, Acts 3:18-21.
Let us re-member the time we said Yes to the Lord, and Yes to our spouse if you are married. ‘Shamar’ – means let us re-tend the gardens of our hearts, to stand watch over and guard our covenant with the Lord.
Ps 25:14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.
. . . . . . .
Let us join the Crosby Family Children and Worship the Lord:
The Goodness of God
Ps Jeff’s Special Today: “Failure to raise Godly children”
The word of God clearly speaks on this: ” Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5).
Do your children now “speak with enemies in the gate?“ Do they have courage based on His Word; do they speak boldly for Christ? Godly children come about through the blessings of obedience by parents to God’s word: ” Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you.” (Deuteronomy 7:12,13)
Being candid with yourself and the Holy Spirit, do you still have a remnant of the old pattern of failing to raise Godly children? Do you think His Word is only for the disciples thousands of years ago? Did you pass off lots of parenting to others who led your children in man’s ways, not God’s ways? Do you have any residue of this issue for such a time as this? Was it connected to your upbringing as a child? Was it a family pattern in any way?
God bless you as you seek His Holy Spirit Wisdom and Comfort on this issue. May you go forward on His narrow path, “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
