Worship

“Extravagant” by Steffany Gretzinger and Amanda Cook

Scripture

“‘Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘you will call me “my husband”; you will no longer call me “my master”. I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked.’”

“‘I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.

“‘In that day I will respond,’ declares the Lord—‘I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called “Not my loved one.” I will say to those called “Not my people,” “You are my people”’; and they will say, “You are my God.”’” -Hosea 2:14-17, 19-23

A Season of Awakening

This is a season of great romance and revival for the Bride of Christ. She is being awakened from her slumber and her wooing from the world. She is beginning to set her affections on the One who is pursuing her with reckless abandon. Jesus already gave everything for her. She’s just beginning to realize it. “… [J]ust as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25)” is becoming her ever present reality. It’s like she’s waking up for the first time. If you have time to read Hosea, it’s a beautiful love story.

I believe the Lord desires us to know:

I Am calling and pulling her into Myself in this distinctive dance of affection and love and tenderness. This is so I can breathe into her lungs, placing all My affections upon her, restoring and healing her. I will tell what I believe about her and what Heaven says about her.

This is an intimate season. The word “season” indicates the beginning and end of a period of time. But there is no end to this, just the dawning of a new era of divine intimacy and romance between Jesus and His Bride.

New affections will be found. Things that held His Bride down will be broken off. She must be free to receive a new revelation of His love for her and to love Him in return with a love she has yet discovered. Your experience of the love of Jesus is going places you have not yet traversed. I declare it to you, in Jesus’ name.

The Spirit’s Invitation

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” -Revelation 22:17 (ESV)

He is putting His “maranatha” on our lips. We are going to long for His coming at a new depth of worship. I want to encourage you that these days of passionate pursuit of Jesus are going to change you! You will see Him transfigured before your very eyes. He will give you new eyes and new ears to see and to hear. New oil. New wine.

I believe the Lord desires us to hear:

My Bride is awakening. She’s coming to life. She won’t be like Gomer anymore. She will be devoted to Me and Me alone. Job pursuits are going to change. Entertainment preferences will begin to change. She will have an appetite for Me alone; nothing else will suffice. I’m actually going to change her pallet for what she tolerates. New pursuits that matter for eternity are being released. There are going to be women whose life trajectory will shift and re-direct. Their cravings will begin to change.

And those tears of pain? I’m wiping them. They will sing and dance again. Laughter will return (Psalm 126). The places of affliction will diminish because they will see My right hand of deliverance. There will be a deposit of grit and perseverance to run to the finish line. I will begin to change what they perceive as earthly reward and set eternity in their hearts and on their minds. They will begin to live for this. I Am setting My affections upon My Bride and wooing her unto Myself.

Just receive My love. Don’t dismiss it or question it. Let Me love you and reveal the depth of what this means to Me today. You need to hear this today. You need to see this today. Look and listen. Hear the voice of your Bridegroom.

A Few Key Details

• The Arise Bible Study this Friday is cancelled due to the holiday weekend, but will resume on Friday, July 10!
• If you know other women who desire to receive these weekly devotionals, send them this link to sign up.
• My book “Arise My Darling” came out recently. You can purchase it here.
• Join the Arise Facebook group to start sharing prayer requests and testimonies as we passionately pursue Jesus together.