I follow a blog by Judy R Hansen. She leads people into meditative prayers to experience the love of Jesus. Her teachings on forgiveness, for example, includes giving every emotion that is not love or loving (anger, bitterness, offense) to Jesus for his care keeping (that is what He did for us on the cross anyway, bore our sins, our griefs, our afflications) and to let Him fill us with His love. Doesn't that sound like a beautiful thing to do? To give the ugly to God so His love and beauty can fill us?
So anyway, I'm also busy reading Message of Faith by Retha and Aldo McPherson. In the book Retha recounts how she asked God why He could only fill her with His Holy Spirit after her throne room encounter with Him when she had come to the end of her rope. She thought she had been filled all these years. God told her it was because she was finally empty of herself. That He can't pour His Spirit into someone who is still full of him/herself. Now I read that and I'm meditating on what that means and my flesh thinks: "No, thank you. I want to stay in control. I don't want to give up my whole life and personality and my dreams. You are filled with the Holy Spirit anyway. Blah blah blah." The flesh can be loud and assuming sometimes!
While busy with the book, I decided to check my email and there was a new mail from a prophetic email list I belong to.
The word they sent out that day reads as follows....
(I got that spine tingling feeling you get when something just can't be an coincidence.)
An Empty Vessel
This word is submitted by Cynthia Blaskis
An empty vessel, yes, that is how I desire for you to come. Not empty of yourself and of the things which I have created you to be, but empty of the things of this world that would hinder your relationship with Me.
You were formed by My hands, and I have filled you with deep treasures and great joys to be found. You were created with a purpose and a plan, but you will only find those things when you empty yourself of the things of this world. Seek Me to fill you, so that you may fulfill My purpose and plans.
I will never leave you less than overflowing, when you come to Me empty, as you were created to be. But you must choose to empty yourself and come to Me as an empty vessel.
You say "but Lord, I cannot let go of this thing of the world, I cannot pour it out to become an empty vessel." Then come and as you are, and sit in My fire, My fire will burn away all that is not of Me.
Just as an earthen vessel is placed within the fire to become what is desired, so will I place you within My fire so that you may become an empty vessel. I will not harm you, I will not take away those things which I created within you so that you could be My masterpiece. I will only remove from you My child the things of this world which would distract your life from becoming all that you truly are within My hands.
Do not look through your human eyes in this time. Instead, look into My face and look through My eyes, see the reflection of who you truly are while the fire burns away what you were not meant to become. You will see a masterpiece of My hands and I will fill you to overflowing.
So, come and sit within My fire. come and fill yourself to overflowing. I invite you to come and let Me show you what I see in you, for you are My precious and treasured possession.
