L.O.V.E. - Love

Letting Our Victory Emerge

It’s easy to love your mama who gathered you to her bosom
Sang lullabies to her precious little prince and princess,
Who made your seat a soft cushion.
Who worked tirelessly to give you the abundance of your wishes,
Who made your days glow like the glistening sunshine.
Who gave you the resources to develop a good mind.
Who stood by and wouldn’t tire when you were in the fire.
And so you love her too.
Because she first loved you.

It’s easy to love a sister or a brother,
Or some other kin ever willing to bend.
Who doesn’t treasure a friend among men who would walk with you
Through a lion’s den.
Who kept your back when it was broken and bowed with despair.
Whose comfort and care was always there.
It is easy to love a loved one. A daughter or a son.
Or someone who lifts you up on high
And make you feel like a truly great guy.

But not so when your parent kicked you to the curb
Because her mind was muddled with dope,
Or disturbed and couldn't cope.
It's really difficult to love a parent who left home without a word,
Or perhaps you were overshadowed by another much more preferred.

Most find it hard to have love for one who disappoints and causes regret,
Who disrespects and makes you just plain upset,
Someone who always knocks at your door with a cup in hand.
Someone who eats from the dumpster or a garbage can.
Or the stranger on the street
Who walks to a different drumbeat.
It’s hard to love, in spirit and in truth,
Someone who is maybe a little uncouth.
It’s not easy either, to love the haughty and proud,
Or that someone who, God! he talks so loud!

The love that the preachers don’t preach about.
The love that the teachers don’t teach and tout.
The love from above which should cause us to sing and shout.
It’s not often taught from the pulpit,
Not seen from where the congregations sit.
Most don’t even know it.
Most are just mired in the grit and the clay.
Or whatever is the sermon of the day.

It is called AGAPE
A
Great
And
Purposeful
Energy.

It interfaces with the word synergy.
It’s that love unconditional….
With no limitations,
With no conditions,
Complete and guaranteed,
No provisions attached.
Won’t be snatched back.
That love which can only come from and through God.
That love which sets us apart.
That love that God had for David –
The adulterer, the fornicator, the liar, the conspirator, the murderer.
The man described as being “a man after God’s own heart.”
Why so?
David said to God, I love You fervently and devotedly,
O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1
“Save me for the sake of Your steadfast love and mercy.” Psalm 6:4
God said of David, “Because he has set his love upon Me,
Therefore will I deliver him,
I will set him on high because he knows and understands My Name.”
Psalm 91:14

God looks on the heart and determines a man –
It is within the heart that God’s love flows as a fountain of life
In a fruited land.
“The Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance,
But God looks on the heart.” 1Samual 16:7
A man may display a likened smile,
But his heart may be filled with pretentious guile.
He imitates, puts on the face of sanctimonious manners.
And makes like he wears godly-like banners.
A man feigns self-righteous faith.
Putting on the proper face.
He talks the talk and play-acts the part he confesses,
But God looks within the heart of what he professes -
To see whether agape is the foundation on which his love is based.
On what altar his idols are placed.
“How do I love thee, let me count the ways,”
Is a well-worn phrase we’re taught.
“Turn against me and I will damn your days,”
Often come as an afterthought.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God;
And he who loves his fellowman is begotten (born)of God
And is coming (progressively) to know and understand God.
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God.
For God is love.” 1John 4:7-8
“Above all things have unfailing love (agape) for one another,
For love covers a multitude of sins.” 1Peter 4-8

This is the love spoken of in John 3:16-18
“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that
He gave up His only begotten Son.
So that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, not be lost,
But have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge,
To reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on the world,
But that the world might find salvation through Him.
He who believes in Him is not judged, (For him there is no rejection,
No condemnation, He incurs no damnation).”

In 1Corinthians 13, it reads that should a man possess
Prophetic powers and all knowledge, professes unflinching faith,
Gives generously to the poor, gives faithfully his offerings and gifts,
But have not love,
He is nothing.
He could be moral in all his ways,
But have not love,
He gains nothing in God’s sight.
“God’s love in us is not conceited, it is not self-seeking, not resentful,
Pays no attention to a suffered wrong or slight.
Love bears up under anything and is ready to believe
The best of every person.”
This is the highest redeeming lesson.
This is where the agape banner is hung as The Light.
This agape love is not captured by jealousy and strife,
Nor does it succumb to the vainglorious and pompous life.

Most people love with conditions and restrictions.
It’s the human nature of man. The man of the earth.
Clayed in his Adamic birth.
He contends with the love which is given, offered,
And outspread by, with, and through the love from above.

Love those who back-stab you?! Talk against you? Lie on you?!
Betray you?!
Are you serious?! Is this really what we’re required to do?
Love someone who did you wrong?
So long. I’m outta here. I’m gone.

It is not an easy road to travel.
I struggle on it too.
It’s paved with hindering obstacles made of sharp-edged gravel.
The most difficult requirement - It requires you to be forgiving.
Which is the footing for a Christ-centered living.

Man can only attain and aspire to this great and abounding love of God,
This unconditional agape love, through the guidance, the help, the life
Of the Holy Ghost instilling and indwelling,
Infusing and suffusing itself
Within the very depth of the heart and soul.
In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we be rooted deep in love
And founded securely on love.
That we would apprehend and grasp what is the breadth and length
And height of God’s love.
Which far surpasses mere knowledge.

God’s love is –
Knowing
Personal
Conquering
Unbreakable
Intimate
Like the Father for the Son
Sacrificial
Victorious
Everlasting
Great
Abundant
Abounding
Overflowing
Complete
Life-sustaining .

God’s love
IS - It stands, it remains, it is present, it is here, it is there,
It exists, it coexists, it’s alive, it lives, it is real,
It occurs, it happens
It arises, it falls on the high and low.
Like the sun.
It shines for everyone.
That’s what God wants us to know.
It‘s the way by which we prosper and grow.

Love is referred to in the New Testament scriptures
More than any other word,
Yet it is seldom given its proper hearing.
It is in the Word of God that is most endearing.

“God – so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order
To satisfy the great and wonderful
And intense love with which He loves us.” Ephesians 2:4

“In this love: God was made manifest (displayed …)” 1John 4:9

“I (Christ) have loved you, just as the Father has loved Me;
Abide in My love.” John 15:9“

“For the Father Himself(tenderly)loves you
Because you have loved Me….” John 16:27

“I command you to love one another.” John 15:17

“Love one another; just as I have loved you.” John 13:34

“Love one another fervently from a pure heart.” 1Peter 1:22“

“Let your love be sincere.” Romans 12:9

“God’s love has been poured out in our hearts
Through the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:5

“May God make you to increase and excel and overflow in love
For one another and for all people…” 1Thessalonians 3:12

“My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my psalm to a King.
My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1
With Love from the Heart,
Ruth
7/16/2011

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
“He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the
Holy Spirit says to the assemblies.” Revelation 3:22


(Scripture texts based on the Amplified Bible translation)

Where Could I Go But to the Lord

(Dedicated to my dear friend and sister, Anne Jones)

Sunlight
coming after the night
arrayed in yellow and gold
beaming on the day
unfolded
to tell the story
of being
in God's blaze
of glory
on earth as it is in heaven

And so the scripture verse reads
"I will bless the Lord at all times
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will boast in the Lord,
the humble shall hear and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
exalt His name together." (Ps.34:1-3)

"Let the beauty and fullness of the Lord our God
be upon us; Confirm and establish the work of our hands -
yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it." (Ps. 90:17)
For the beautiful love of the Lord will transform the minds and hearts
of man in ways unseen before - to the glory of our most beautiful Lord.
Amen.

On Friday, the 6th day of the week in the 7th month of the year
marked as July the 1st, 2011
Journaling the journey, I wrote,
I lean, look, and wait patiently for the move of the Spirit.
Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.
O God! I confess
I want so much to see Your healing power bestowed upon Anne.
Not for me, but for the movement of the body into greater depths
of Your loving wonder-working manifestation.
O Lord I so desire to see Your miraculous Hand upon our lives.
I do, I do want to hear from You firsthand concerning "Your Will"
for Anne here on earth.
Dear God, dear God,
my dear God
please let me see faith at work!
Let me see the labors of my faith be rewarded by Your goodness
and mercy which endures forever and forevermore.
Praise God Almighty
on this first "Seed-week" day. Amen

Saturday the 7th day of the week, and the 2nd day
It is well with my soul
As time seeds forth in the day of victory in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Praise His holy and hallowed Name above all authorities and rulers
of the heavens and in the earth.
No dominion possesses power above the Lord
Who is manifested in the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit
in Whom we have our power and our being as called-out sons
to be the light of the world and have dominion.
Praise be unto the Lord God
The mighty King of Glory
Hallelujah.
Praises on High to the Most High God of all creation.
Bless the Lord O my soul in all my innermost being.
Praise the Lord.

I sit here at Anne's side
at her feet
watching over her in the diligent mind of Christ as our Great Shepherd
watches with loving care over His beloved flock.
I sing praises in prayer and thanksgiving for His charge to mount up
on wings of eagles and fly into the Face of the Son.
I pray God's Presence in the Most Holy Place.
I look to the Lord to watch closely with His Divine Eye
upon Sister Queen Mother Anne and illuminate His glory upon her.
Dear Lord hear my cry to be with us all gathered here in the union of one.
Be Lord over all. I pray. Amen

As the day grows into a glorious afternoon,
I sit outside near her window in the light of the Lord,
and under the umbrella of the sun
and look up to my clouds of joy overhead.
I see before me
An angel in the sky
formed in the clouds -
In an image of a woman-figure
dancing, twirling softly and gently,
leaving a light misty layer beneath her.
She twirls upwards
towards an image of what I see as a symbolic likeness of the Great Father -
meeting up to Him in the sky.

She is soon dissolved into the Father Head.
As the two images move slowly into one.
She becomes no longer the form of her former self.
She is a mass of cloud stuff
inter-meshed with the cloud stuff
as both images become somewhat indistinguishable -
being not of any particular image....
except for a still lingering sense of a Godhead or sorts.
The floating cloud stuff floats on up and up over the rooftop.
Then a form in the likeness of an eagle rises lightly above the rest.
Hummhh... Interesting.

God would show me an image in the clouds.
I'm in love with the clouds.
The clouds are my own personal delights.
What awesome wonders on earth.

A thought comes....
I pray that I'm not witnessing Anne's spirit actually leaving us
at this moment, while I'm sitting here.
Because I don't want her to leave before her son, Timothy, returns
tomorrow.
Though I acknowledge tomorrow, or at any hour, things can change
into God manifesting healing to her body.
I gotta keep the faith.

"And the angel of the Lord said unto them, fear not,
for behold! I bring you glad tidings of great joy
which shall be for all people." (Luke 2:10)

On the following day, as the rain pours against my window,
I look out and feel the peace of God that surpasses understanding.
Joy is in my soul.

I pray and minister to the Lord in song and praise beside Anne's bed
on this early Sunday morn of the 3rd day.
She seems restless, unable to settle in a comfortable position.
Where is the Hand of the Lord!?
Death, thy sting has no power to move against her, says the Holy Spirit.
Be still for God is in the midst of this! He says to me.
Be silent before the Throne, for mercy is being poured out in droves.
Know My beloved daughter, our God is able.

The hours pass...
The day dims...
The night falls.
We gather together
in the union of the Holy Spirit,
Anne and us three -
Vanessa, Timothy and me.
Hallelujah! is her praise in uplifted arms.
As The Holy Presence
hovers around and about us,
"demonstrating the riches of His grace, His kindness and goodness of heart towards us in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2-7)
And covering us in the Holy matrimony of the all-enduring love
of God being poured out for many -
as the hour of flight comes upon the soul of
our dear beloved sister, mother, friend;
a dear and faithful servant to and of the Lord
all of her days.

And when the moment of death came,
she was called softly and tenderly
into the everlasting arms of the Father.
Out of her earthly state she arose
into her heavenly home on high.

Where could she go but to the Lord

Because He lives,

She and I shared a significantly moving embrace - an all-encompassing,
immeasurable love which surpasses mere knowledge.
What a fellowship. What a joy divine.
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
She and I, her and me,
us two and the fullness of God's agape love for all of us
indwelling our innermost being.

O cancer, you are nullified and void.
We have the victory in Jesus!
"For whoever is born of God is victorious over the world;
and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith." (1John 5:4)

Praise the Lord for the Spirit and power of the Holy Ghost!
Praise God for the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in the Father.
Praise God for His Will, His Way, and His Life
in and through us the means to overcome all things.
Praise God for divine intervention!
For being the path to the truth, and the light that shines into the darkness!
Thank You and Praise God for surrounding us about with songs of deliverence.
Thank You and Praise God for the breath of life.
Thank You and Praise You God for my friend James Lee, my beloved sons and daughters, and those such as Freda and Brenda whom You have placed to stand with me,
and all of us in union in the Body of Christ - these vessels of light and illumination.
Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!
It is well with my soul.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

This is my testimony of a friendship, a sisterhood
under and within the deep well of living waters
poured out for the multitudes as the life in Christ.
So Great is His Love.
And His "Amazing Grace" is amazingly sufficient. Amen...

With All the Love that is within me.
"Peace be to the brethren, and love joined with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 6:23)
Ruth
(7-6-2011)

Thanks Elvis, for your ministry in music of the song
"Where Could I Go But to the Lord"
It has been a comfort to my soul.

Praying for the Strength to Overcome

Dear God. Hear me!
It's difficult to stand firm in my faith
that you will heal Anne,
raise her up in her present form;
that she will live and not die here on earth.
I have faith that you would heal my mother.
Bring her out of her paralyzed body, that she would
be healed in her body by Your miraculous power.
I believed it.
And was disappointed, shocked even that she died.
I had to make peace with it all, over time.
I did not doubt that You could do this. I believed.
I did no doubt that You would or could bring Aunt Ruth,
Johnetta and Iris into recovery;
that You would raise them up from their sick beds.
But they went on from this earth. They died.
Now I wait upon You for Your healing
of Sister Queen Mother Anne.
And I am pressed.
You said to James Lee that she would live and not die,
and I believed it was Your Word to him for us.
The other family members prepare for her death,
though they do not doubt Your power.
Nevertheless she's termed terminally ill by the authorities.
So I feel as one standing alone - away from the masses
hoping and praying for renewal of life.
At the same time, I can't be fully certain of it,
though I believe I do have the faith within that You are
indeed able to raise her up from her cancer ridden bed
in this life and make her a living testimony.
That as You God, in Your power,
raised Jesus from the dead, You will also raise up Anne.
That this is indeed a new day arising where the sons of God
as the Word has so stated, are being prepared
to enter into the kingdom on earth prepared
before the foundation of the world, that this is indeed
the day of jubilee.
I thank You Lord that I have overcome my former weakness
of the previous days, my sluggard spirit,
my hesitation to go as You send me. Forgive me.
And I am prepared to speak life over Anne in Your Name,
Your power and Your strength.
I believe I am not foolish in my faith,
and have never been so.
I think You can indeed do what seems impossible.
I believe the Word Paul spoke in Ephesians 1,
that we are ministers of the immeasurable,
unlimited power of the Holy Ghost being given to us
to manifest the love of God, the might and the Hand of God
on earth as it is in heaven.
I believe You,, God raised Jesus from the dead,
that this is indeed the power on high
which is granted to us on earth.
(As we are being made into the image of Christ).
I believe You can do it.
That You are indeed able to do great things.
Dear God do Your thing!!!
I ask in Jesus Yeshua's Name. Amen.
Help me to go forward with the sword
and shield of Your Word.
Help me to not wither like a wet rag
and a flounder like a dead fish.
Give me sustaining strength and Your power
to stand firm on Your Word.
Help me to live and walk in the mind of Christ
as You have proclaimed is our gift
from above. Let the anointing be upon me.
Speak Your light into my being
and let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Thy sight
O Lord my strength and my redeemer Lord.
Praise Your Name on high. Bless You Lord from sky to sky.

My Love, Ruth
(Email sent to Brenda, Freda and Vanessa)

Freda writes,
Wow! Paul and David move over and make room for... Ruth!!! Thank you for sharing, Ruth - it is so honest, and eloquent. I paused throughout and prayed along with you...part of me wants to just memorize it like I have with my favorite scriptures.

I too believe in the healing power of God and always find transitioning of loved ones very challenging. My sister made a comment about death saying that it is believed that the presence of loved ones is what keeps the dying around and that is why they slip away once you leave. I sat with Mrs. Phillips for about 9 hours and decided to go home once her niece showed up...she was gone within 15 minutes of my leaving. Johnetta slipped away when I left to pick you up and before you got there.
There is so much mystery behind death partly because our western worldview is afraid of it. I think Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead out of compassion for the grieving loved ones left behind. Queen Mother Anne may be tired and ready, however, I'm praying that she is infused with powerful, healing energy of love that you'll bring with your presence.
May you have a powerful experience during this time of ministry and and be renewed daily by God's love.
Love you,
Freda

Vanessa writes,
Jesus Lord, I pray to for my mother's strength in Christ. I understand her thoughts and feelings. I too have been wavering in my faith. I stood strong in the beginning, but have seen how others have come to accept the views of the doctors and recognize that this is their way of coping. But, I never want to deny Your Power. I began to anxiously await my mother's coming. I knew the power from on High dwells within her. I know that the Christ that within her will permeate the entire building and control any spirit that is not like the Father. I understand that Anne needs to feel the anointing of the Lord during these next few days. She needs to feel the Zoe life giving power of God. So, please hear my heart oh Lord. Please empower my mother with the Life giving Power of You. Have your way oh Lord and we will never cease to Praise You. I pray that through and because of this time, my mother's faith will not waver, but grow in the abundance. Speak Lord! Speak to her heart! Speak to the heart of Anne! Speak Holy Spirit.
I too must stand with my mother. I too must believe...whatever come what may. So, I pray for continued union with the Holy Spirit.
love you.

Brenda writes,
You will be fine! Your glow and wise words will comfort her so much.
You have no idea how amazing and inspiring you are. You are so wonderful beyond words. We all love, admire and respect you. Not just me, but you are and always
will be my favorite cousin!
Hang in there! You are a powerful soldier of God. Tim and Vanessa are so blessed
to that you are able to do this. Remember that!