England
Dear Lydias,
From time to time it is good to go back to places that have particular significance for us. I have been staying in Bath for a few days and this morning I took a cruise on the River Avon, as pictured above. The last time I was on the river was in August 2016 only a couple of months before my husband died. As I took in the familiar scenery I called to mind the faithfulness of God. Yes I am now a widow and I do miss Tony very much but Isaiah 54 v 5 proclaims that the Lord is now my husband. I was so aware of the sweetness of His presence and His peace and could look back to the previous trip full of gratitude for the way He has upheld me since then. In Joshua 3, we read of an amazing miracle God performed for his people. He caused the Jordan River to stop flowing so they could cross on dry ground into the Promised Land. God then instructed them, through Joshua, to gather twelve stones from the Jordan to set up as a memorial. One man from each tribe was selected to take a stone from the riverbed. Joshua set them up as a sign, as a remembrance, of what God accomplished for his people on that day. We need to develop the habit of calling to mind the faithfulness of God by remembering His past mercies and goodness. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching - Hebrews 10 v 23 - 25. How we need to encourage one another as we see the increase of lawlessness and the rise of those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter - Isaiah 5:20. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one” - Ezekiel 22 v 30. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” As we see the Lord and worship Him in the splendour and majesty of His holiness, then we will become more aware that we are women of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. The remedy is to fix our eyes on the one who is the Ancient of Days. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire - Daniel 7 v 9. As I take up the role of National Co-ordinator I would like to invite each one of you, myself included, to make a fresh commitment to meeting with the Lord in the secret place. It is there that we receive a fresh infilling of His spirit, and He is able to whisper his secrets in our ears. The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning - Psalm 25 v 14 AMPC. Nothing less will suffice. He is calling us to dedicate ourselves afresh as we hold fast our positions as watchmen on the walls of our nation, and stand in the gap on behalf of our land. And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves [that is, separate yourselves for a special holy purpose], for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you - Joshua 3 v 5 AMPC.
Much love,
Kath xx , National Co-ordinator
From time to time it is good to go back to places that have particular significance for us. I have been staying in Bath for a few days and this morning I took a cruise on the River Avon, as pictured above. The last time I was on the river was in August 2016 only a couple of months before my husband died. As I took in the familiar scenery I called to mind the faithfulness of God. Yes I am now a widow and I do miss Tony very much but Isaiah 54 v 5 proclaims that the Lord is now my husband. I was so aware of the sweetness of His presence and His peace and could look back to the previous trip full of gratitude for the way He has upheld me since then. In Joshua 3, we read of an amazing miracle God performed for his people. He caused the Jordan River to stop flowing so they could cross on dry ground into the Promised Land. God then instructed them, through Joshua, to gather twelve stones from the Jordan to set up as a memorial. One man from each tribe was selected to take a stone from the riverbed. Joshua set them up as a sign, as a remembrance, of what God accomplished for his people on that day. We need to develop the habit of calling to mind the faithfulness of God by remembering His past mercies and goodness. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching - Hebrews 10 v 23 - 25. How we need to encourage one another as we see the increase of lawlessness and the rise of those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter - Isaiah 5:20. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one” - Ezekiel 22 v 30. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” As we see the Lord and worship Him in the splendour and majesty of His holiness, then we will become more aware that we are women of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. The remedy is to fix our eyes on the one who is the Ancient of Days. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire - Daniel 7 v 9. As I take up the role of National Co-ordinator I would like to invite each one of you, myself included, to make a fresh commitment to meeting with the Lord in the secret place. It is there that we receive a fresh infilling of His spirit, and He is able to whisper his secrets in our ears. The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning - Psalm 25 v 14 AMPC. Nothing less will suffice. He is calling us to dedicate ourselves afresh as we hold fast our positions as watchmen on the walls of our nation, and stand in the gap on behalf of our land. And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves [that is, separate yourselves for a special holy purpose], for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you - Joshua 3 v 5 AMPC.
Much love,
Kath xx , National Co-ordinator
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‘THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY COME’ Revelation 22:17 What an invitation from the Throne room. Come!! ‘Whoever is thirsty, let him come to receive the free gift of the water of life.’ Our Lydia England Leaders’ conference in 2014 was entitled ‘An invitation to the thirsty’ Isaiah 55:1-13. One of our meditation scriptures that year was Revelation 22:17. Four years later the invitation is still the same. Come! |
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What an invitation to come to receive everything that Father knows that we need and blessings that are rich beyond measure!
The call to intercession and the call to come into His presence are a constant theme for us in Lydia. ‘The Spirit and the Bride say COME’. We need to respond to that call constantly, as intercession is a way of life. I remember Molly Osborne saying this on many occasions.
There is a tribute to Molly’s life in our 2018 newsletter but I want to share her vision with you as she herself responded to the invitation to come into the Throne room. In her article in the Newsletter in the year 2000 she wrote something which is for all of us, but also sums up her own walk with the Lord. I quote:
“Today He is speaking and He says to you.
“You do not know what has been accomplished as you have faithfully sought my face. You do not know what has been done as you have listened to My Spirit. Your prayers and intercession have been as a sweet perfume; your worship has been as a balm to my heart. I have seen the tears, the pain and I know the cost. I have heard your song of the night. Now know this, that I love you and have chosen you. Your prayers have ploughed a deep furrow in the fallow ground of the nations. Many now walk on ground that has been prepared with your prayers and tears. Light and life has penetrated the darkness as you have called to me for the lost. I have heard your cries and they will not go unheeded. Mary broke her alabaster box of perfume and her tears washed my feet. Your prayers are as tears to Me and are precious in my sight. Faithful ones, I call you my friends, be encouraged. Look up, look up! I am coming soon. Until I do, watch and pray with me. Watch and pray.
Faithful is He who has called us dear Lydias. May we be faithful to Him and press on to reach the goals that He has set before us because it is LATER THAN WE THINK.
May His blessing and presence ever surround you. Molly”
It seemed to me as I read it that it was the kind of farewell message that Molly would want to leave with us today.
We are called to be a Bride before we are a Warrior. We need to be in preparation mode as Esther was before she came in to the King. He is looking for a spotless and pure Bride. Are we prepared to deny ourselves and to be that pure Bride? I remember reading that Glen Dean (who looked after our tape library and has gone to be with the Lord) said “When we say ‘yes’ to God it is the ‘I will’ of a Bride!” Have we the same commitment to our Heavenly Bridegroom?
Our lives are filled with demands through technology, causing busyness and the activities of our everyday lives taking over! Many of them are legitimate demands: homes, families, jobs and our Church family. These are all important but the Holy Spirit is calling, ‘Come. Come and sit at my feet and listen to my voice for I have much to tell you.’ As we aim to prioritise our time and make space for God to come, then it may mean that we will be misunderstood; it will be costly.
It is so important that we heed the exhortations that come from the Lord and are obedient to His call. We live in days when the walls are broken down around our nation and integrity justice and Truth are absent from our statute books. Laws have been passed that would never have been agreed in times past, when we honoured God and the Bible was our plumb-line.
The Lydia prayer cell is the place where as we wait on God, meditate on His Word, and He speaks to us and tells us how to pray. Hebrews 10:25 gives us this advice. ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’
We need each other in these days Ladies standing shoulder to shoulder in the place of prayer. May His blessing and love be with each one of you.
Margaret. (Margaret Watts, England National Coordinator 2007-2018)
The call to intercession and the call to come into His presence are a constant theme for us in Lydia. ‘The Spirit and the Bride say COME’. We need to respond to that call constantly, as intercession is a way of life. I remember Molly Osborne saying this on many occasions.
There is a tribute to Molly’s life in our 2018 newsletter but I want to share her vision with you as she herself responded to the invitation to come into the Throne room. In her article in the Newsletter in the year 2000 she wrote something which is for all of us, but also sums up her own walk with the Lord. I quote:
“Today He is speaking and He says to you.
“You do not know what has been accomplished as you have faithfully sought my face. You do not know what has been done as you have listened to My Spirit. Your prayers and intercession have been as a sweet perfume; your worship has been as a balm to my heart. I have seen the tears, the pain and I know the cost. I have heard your song of the night. Now know this, that I love you and have chosen you. Your prayers have ploughed a deep furrow in the fallow ground of the nations. Many now walk on ground that has been prepared with your prayers and tears. Light and life has penetrated the darkness as you have called to me for the lost. I have heard your cries and they will not go unheeded. Mary broke her alabaster box of perfume and her tears washed my feet. Your prayers are as tears to Me and are precious in my sight. Faithful ones, I call you my friends, be encouraged. Look up, look up! I am coming soon. Until I do, watch and pray with me. Watch and pray.
Faithful is He who has called us dear Lydias. May we be faithful to Him and press on to reach the goals that He has set before us because it is LATER THAN WE THINK.
May His blessing and presence ever surround you. Molly”
It seemed to me as I read it that it was the kind of farewell message that Molly would want to leave with us today.
We are called to be a Bride before we are a Warrior. We need to be in preparation mode as Esther was before she came in to the King. He is looking for a spotless and pure Bride. Are we prepared to deny ourselves and to be that pure Bride? I remember reading that Glen Dean (who looked after our tape library and has gone to be with the Lord) said “When we say ‘yes’ to God it is the ‘I will’ of a Bride!” Have we the same commitment to our Heavenly Bridegroom?
Our lives are filled with demands through technology, causing busyness and the activities of our everyday lives taking over! Many of them are legitimate demands: homes, families, jobs and our Church family. These are all important but the Holy Spirit is calling, ‘Come. Come and sit at my feet and listen to my voice for I have much to tell you.’ As we aim to prioritise our time and make space for God to come, then it may mean that we will be misunderstood; it will be costly.
It is so important that we heed the exhortations that come from the Lord and are obedient to His call. We live in days when the walls are broken down around our nation and integrity justice and Truth are absent from our statute books. Laws have been passed that would never have been agreed in times past, when we honoured God and the Bible was our plumb-line.
The Lydia prayer cell is the place where as we wait on God, meditate on His Word, and He speaks to us and tells us how to pray. Hebrews 10:25 gives us this advice. ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’
We need each other in these days Ladies standing shoulder to shoulder in the place of prayer. May His blessing and love be with each one of you.
Margaret. (Margaret Watts, England National Coordinator 2007-2018)
