Forerunner: one that precedes and indicates the approach of another as a premonitory sign or symptom. A skier who runs the course before the start of a race ...
Life is a race. John the Baptist was a forerunner to Jesus coming. Some of us will be forerunners to the return of Jesus Christ. We may beat others in life in the race to what we want. I was a forerunner of some who are divorced as far as getting remarried and having a good relationship. Now I’m an early widow.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
I attended a single’s retreat a few months ago. I’ve been married a total of 27 years and that was the first single’s retreat I attended ever (way out of my comfort zone). I’ve attended several Christian married couples retreats with my husband and women’s retreats in the past. I was the only person there with spousal loss which is the usual situation at all single groups. I heard someone say that organizing a single’s group is like “herding cats” because of people doing their own thing. Starting a spousal loss support group would be like herding turtles or hermit crabs (very slow to get people to come poke their heads out of a shell).
A couple leading the discussion at the single’s group were telling their wonderful story of how they met each other. A wedding or a couple telling their story, reminds me of my husband who passed away which I thought about getting up and leaving the meeting right at that moment before I lost it in tears. I do a pretty good job when tears start welling up not to lose it, but I still do at times. It’s not always a pretty sight so most people with grief stay away from single meetings and I’ve questioned that I need my head examined at times to go. While I was listening to this couple talk at the retreat about their wonderful marriage, a scripture in the Bible came to my mind how John outran Peter to the grave and found the tomb empty when Jesus arose from the dead. I realized then that I’m a forerunner of couples who love each other and that they too will be in my situation in the future. I just outran that woman or man to see my husband’s grave. It’s was not an intentional outrunning like John was trying to beat Peter. As far as the tomb being empty, that signifies my husband is in heaven with Jesus since he was a believer.
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.). John 20:3-9
My friend and I were discussing a popular female televangelist who brings up her past almost every message how she was abused as a child by her father. There is a place for the past and it’s for examples. We should look at our past as a great history teacher. Sort of like sitting in a class listening to the history of the world, U.S. history, and our family history. Before my mother passed away, she discussed where I could find some heirlooms in her apartment and her past. We don’t understand history very well because as Americans we are too busy getting from point A to Z to listen to our elders. I met a woman from Nigeria and 500 years of family history is passed down by word of mouth. Some of us (myself especially) fell asleep listening to my boring history teacher and did not “catch” the lessons I was supposed to learn in history class. We don’t want to fall asleep in life and not catch the lessons from God we are supposed to learn.
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.). John 20:3-9
My friend and I were discussing a popular female televangelist who brings up her past almost every message how she was abused as a child by her father. There is a place for the past and it’s for examples. We should look at our past as a great history teacher. Sort of like sitting in a class listening to the history of the world, U.S. history, and our family history. Before my mother passed away, she discussed where I could find some heirlooms in her apartment and her past. We don’t understand history very well because as Americans we are too busy getting from point A to Z to listen to our elders. I met a woman from Nigeria and 500 years of family history is passed down by word of mouth. Some of us (myself especially) fell asleep listening to my boring history teacher and did not “catch” the lessons I was supposed to learn in history class. We don’t want to fall asleep in life and not catch the lessons from God we are supposed to learn.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 1 Cor. 10:11
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Roman 15:4
One problem with continuing to bring up the negativity of the past outside of using it for an example is we can be binding our lives. We can be binding ourselves to bitterness, anger and strife and it can cause us to have physical ailments.
One problem with continuing to bring up the negativity of the past outside of using it for an example is we can be binding our lives. We can be binding ourselves to bitterness, anger and strife and it can cause us to have physical ailments.
If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven. If you retain people's sins, they are retained." John 20:23
“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18
We focus on Jesus – not on the ex or how they hurt us ---Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith he is the great high priest who lives to make intercession for us. Jesus is currently interceding for us! Hebrews 7:25. Not worrying about what the ex did not do right in our relationship/marriage and what they are doing in their lives today. Asking God how we can proceed forward—what is his will for my life? Stop trying to figure things out from the past and how that person failed me or hurt me. We have the wrong focus. The focus in our lives needs to be on God/we need to be God centered. It’s not about our ex or about ourselves.
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philip 3:13
He is a God of the present. Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
For most of us, we are dealing with the evil of today and I miss my husband presently. I'm working on getting through the present day to feel better about my life to move forward. I heard the example that you can move on (try to forget your loss) or you can move foward which means you take what you have learned from that person and the experience in life and you use it to better your life and be a better person.
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philip 3:13
He is a God of the present. Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
For most of us, we are dealing with the evil of today and I miss my husband presently. I'm working on getting through the present day to feel better about my life to move forward. I heard the example that you can move on (try to forget your loss) or you can move foward which means you take what you have learned from that person and the experience in life and you use it to better your life and be a better person.
God prepares a table in the presence of our enemies! That can include Satan’s tormenting us about our loss or speaking through an ex-husband or ex-wife how they have moved on and you have not!
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5
They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert? Psalm 78:19
If we focus on our past all the time, we can get stuck in a loop. For those of us that understand computer programming, you set a program counter for so many loops for a program to run and then you have to have an exit from your program. The computer program repeats itself until a specific task is accomplished and then it exits that loop to fulfill a new task in the program. The purpose of my writings, it to help everyone come to an exit point in life and come to the promise land (whatever the promise land is for you). To build up the Body of Christ until we all come to maturity. I believe that God has blessed me with a gift of prophesy so many of the writings I’ve received are a revelation God laid on my heart.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:12-13
Now that I’ve come a full circle of grief in my life, I don’t want to get stuck in going through continual circles of grief. I’m asking my heavenly Father to make me a whole person again. I’m not sure how that works because my husband had a big hole in his heart for 23 years from a baby dying to SIDS. I don’t know how we become overcomers of death and grief, but I guarantee if there is a way, I’ll let you know the best I can.
In my last message I talked about how I say “I’m blessed and loved by God” every day. I was thinking how my husband was a buffer in my life. A buffer from losing my parents and sister to cancer, a buffer from rejection of two ex-husbands and buffer against the trials and tribulations in life. Instead of my husband being the buffer zone, saying I’m blessed is now my new buffer zone.
In my last message I talked about how I say “I’m blessed and loved by God” every day. I was thinking how my husband was a buffer in my life. A buffer from losing my parents and sister to cancer, a buffer from rejection of two ex-husbands and buffer against the trials and tribulations in life. Instead of my husband being the buffer zone, saying I’m blessed is now my new buffer zone.
Buffer zone: a neutral zone between two rival powers that is created in order to diminish the danger of conflict. Saying, I’m blessed is starting my car in neutral every day of my life. It neutralizes the enemy in my life every morning and every evening when I go to bed. Neutralize: Render (something) ineffective or harmless by applying an opposite force or effect: "inpatience at his frailty began to neutralize her fear". Make (an acidic or alkaline substance) chemically neutral.
In August, I missed the last step going down the stairs of my house and fell on the Parkay floor in the dark and factured my ankle. I thought I was at the last step when I had another step to go. It was a perception problem that I was at the bottom. I’ve spoken to many people that have missed the last step going down their stairs including my family practice nurse who examined my ankle. She said that she fell with her newborn baby at the bottom of the stairs. My daughter had missed the same step two weeks prior to me. In the past, I have missed it in the daytime and sprained my ankle. This time I broke my ankle since I was running down the stairs. When I was giving health insurance information to a woman for an x-ray of my fractured ankle and the receptionist asked me who was responsible for breaking my ankle? At first, I said, "I responsible, it was an accident on my own stairs, but then in my spirit I heard a voice say, “Tell her the devil is responsible.” I said, "Actually, the devil is responsible. She asked, “The devil made you do it?” I said, “No the devil deceived me that I was on the last step when I was not on the last step of my stairs there was still one step left.”
After I told the lady the devil was responsible, the Lord spoke to my spirit that many widows including myself can miss the last step of their lives, because they consider their lives are over after their husband is gone when it is not. Same holds true of those divorced who don’t find out what God wants them to do on the last step of their life. I know God gave me this revelation of the last step of my life as an empty nester because I had been praying that I would join my husband in heaven. With my last child finishing high school, there is nothing to tie me to earth anymore as far as I am wanting to join my husband in heaven. I’ve prayed many times that God would take me to heaven so I can live with my husband. There were many days, I was fortunate to get my clothes on and make it to work.
Since I’ve broken my ankle I’m looking for level places to walk spiritually and physically because I don’t want to twist my ankle and the slightest turn can hurt it again. In otherwards, I am going to try to find ways to try avoid pain in life unless I believe it’s healthy pain as far as being in a cocoon and I’m trying to break out of shell. I’m seeking to make my life a smoother path. When a person goes through divorce or death, they are looking for avoiding the pitfalls that led to the divorce or death. I’m looking for man who eats better and is healthier. I had a witness in my spirit when I married my husband that he was not going to live very long because of chronic asthma.
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6
Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Hebrews 12:13 & Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Proverbs 4:26
a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' Mark 1:3
I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Proverbs 4:11
Losing Isaac
I know God has spoken to me many times in dreams and bits and pieces over the last 38 years of my walk with Jesus. I’ve tried to fine-tune the voice of God’s spirit to hear what God is speaking. It amazes me when I read how he has spoken in whole sentences in the New Testament to people and I’ve only had few of those situations. Most of the time it’s through a scripture, what someone says in a movie that comes across as a revelation or comparison to a scripture, nature and usually in the morning I’ll hear just a few words. I think it is amazing how God spoke to Moses in the Old Testament.
Losing Isaac
I know God has spoken to me many times in dreams and bits and pieces over the last 38 years of my walk with Jesus. I’ve tried to fine-tune the voice of God’s spirit to hear what God is speaking. It amazes me when I read how he has spoken in whole sentences in the New Testament to people and I’ve only had few of those situations. Most of the time it’s through a scripture, what someone says in a movie that comes across as a revelation or comparison to a scripture, nature and usually in the morning I’ll hear just a few words. I think it is amazing how God spoke to Moses in the Old Testament.
And the LORD said to them, "Now listen to what I say: "If there were prophets among you, I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Numbers 12:7-9
Like the verse above, God has spoken to me in several dreams in my life. A dream the Lord gave me one year after my husband passed away:
My grandson and I were passengers in my husband’s SUV and my mother was driving up a winding mountain. My mother drove over a break in the road and my husband’s SUV fell over the cliff with myself and my grandson and mother in it. I know my mother is deceased and I remember I was upset that she was driving the SUV since she was old. I know that meant that God was driving my life (the supernatural since my mother is deceased). I perceive God is old like a teenager perceives his parents are old and should not be driving my life. The break in the road was my husband’s heart attack. In my dream I died and I was floating towards heaven and joy and peace flooded my soul. It was like I could go ahead and go to heaven, but in my dream I prayed, “Not my will but thine be done.” That is the same prayer that Jesus prayed about going to the cross to die three times. I prayed this in my dream and then I came back down to the earth and was in a lodge full of people and starting looking for my grandson in my dream. I know it relates to God has a purpose for my life, my husband already fulfilled his purpose. It was my husband’s time to go and the Lord showed me that through the dream and since then through other confirmations it was his time to die. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, Eccl. 3:2
I believe a reason that God has showed me that my husband passed away was His timing in a dream, because I’ve been very hard on myself from his death. My husband respected that I could hear the voice of my spirit more than he did. He was in a non-secular marriage for 13 years and was not walking with God at that time. He only came back to the Lord and was a Christian just a couple of years when I met him. He had accepted the Lord when he was 19 years old, but never walked the Christian walk as a young adult in college and work life. He told me, “Whenever you are warned about doing something be sure to tell me.” I did not have a sense of urgency the whole week about his physical symptoms after he went into the hospital and was on a heart monitor for a colonoscopy.
When you miss something as crucial as you are going to lose an Isaac in your life (the sacrifice on the altar is coming) and at the time you are moving closer to God in sharing the gospel with others, and I had made a committment of everything to the Lord in July in my life including my husband and then he was taken in October, my faith was shaken. Faith in believing in the goodness of God. My faith to even hear from God at all and then that the enemy can “get one up on me” any time in my life when I’m seeking God. I struggle many times in my life if I’m walking in disobedience to God or grace. I know it probably is my poor image of God since I had a non-believing dad all my life who pointed out the one B on my report card amidst all the A’s and then had two critical ex-husbands.
I believe a reason that God has showed me that my husband passed away was His timing in a dream, because I’ve been very hard on myself from his death. My husband respected that I could hear the voice of my spirit more than he did. He was in a non-secular marriage for 13 years and was not walking with God at that time. He only came back to the Lord and was a Christian just a couple of years when I met him. He had accepted the Lord when he was 19 years old, but never walked the Christian walk as a young adult in college and work life. He told me, “Whenever you are warned about doing something be sure to tell me.” I did not have a sense of urgency the whole week about his physical symptoms after he went into the hospital and was on a heart monitor for a colonoscopy.
When you miss something as crucial as you are going to lose an Isaac in your life (the sacrifice on the altar is coming) and at the time you are moving closer to God in sharing the gospel with others, and I had made a committment of everything to the Lord in July in my life including my husband and then he was taken in October, my faith was shaken. Faith in believing in the goodness of God. My faith to even hear from God at all and then that the enemy can “get one up on me” any time in my life when I’m seeking God. I struggle many times in my life if I’m walking in disobedience to God or grace. I know it probably is my poor image of God since I had a non-believing dad all my life who pointed out the one B on my report card amidst all the A’s and then had two critical ex-husbands.
God has done a lot of healing in my life through my deceased husband as far as him loving me as I am. We sing that song, “Just As I Am” to God, but then many churches preach a lot of legalism and works. I had a peace that passes understanding during the whole episode of losing him to death and I’m glad we both said, “I love you that day,” but I can’t help but be tormented when my soul is continually vexed by my husband’s absence. I know the dream and revelation about the last step in life was God’s encouragement that he has a future and a hope for me and not to give up the faith to see God’s goodness in the land of the living. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 & I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
The plan and purpose that God has for you is not the plan and purpose that God has for me, except we both know it's to "give us a future and a hope." Now I’m looking for the mate that God has called me to walk with on this last step of life. I want to be wise to chose the best mate that God has for me like I chose when I was divorced. "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord." 1 Cor. 7:39
When I was divorced, I was looking for a relationship with a person who would treat me better and who had a better relationship with his mother and his parents did not fight all the time. I met my husband through a single’s ad and it’s a process of elimination. Same way now, men I meet at socials or men I meet through online dating, it’s like a job interview. You want the best fit for you and they want the best fit for them. Some jobs have higher pay, some jobs have better benefits. Then you have to adjust to the person you work for, the conditions of the job or that person.
One morning I woke up and the Lord showed me that if I’m mad at him for taking my husband early in life than I am like a dog that “bites the hand that feeds it.” I used to have a dog that every time I got close to his feeding bowl would growl at me. My dog’s growling made me angry. “How dare you bite the hand that feeds you.” Our sufficiency is in Jesus Christ. He is our provider. Jehovah-jireh (or Yahweh-yireh)
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God; 2 Cor. 3:5
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philip 4:19
My ministry is to Job’s wife who is angry at God. I have a ministry of restoration. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9
That is to help other women who lost their spouse not be angry at God for taking their husbands. David needed a restoration after he committed murder and adultery in his life with Bathsheeba, There are times in our life that we need a restoration due to loss from death or divorce, it’s a restoration of hope, joy, peace, faith and trust in the opposite sex, etc. Some people need a restoration of their family life.
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.' Jeremiah 30:17
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:4
My sister taught me how to restore furniture and my heavenly Father is teaching me how to help restore other's faith in God for His love and goodness. Stripping furniture requires stripping the old stain, sometimes sanding out the imperfections and using wood puddy to fill in the holes, brushing on the stain, brushing on polyurethane and lightly sanding between coats of polyurethane. God is in the restoration business. Many of us have been stripped in life from various things or people. To be crucified with Christ is that we bury our past and walk in God’s newness of life. This is a daily walking. It’s daily manna from heaven. One problem with the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for forty years is that they kept talking about Egypt rather than letting God take them into the promise land. When it came time to go into the promise land they looked at the giants rather than God’s goodness.
You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Duet 1:27
You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Duet 1:27
they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" Numbers 21:5
There is a tendency to focus on loss and what we don’t have rather than being thankful for what we do have. We have Jesus and He is the one that takes us into the promise land. It’s important to renew our minds to the word of God (meditating on the word of God) so we will be able to vision the promise land and bring it to pass in our lives. When we renew our minds to God word then we will better understand the will of God for our lives.
There is a tendency to focus on loss and what we don’t have rather than being thankful for what we do have. We have Jesus and He is the one that takes us into the promise land. It’s important to renew our minds to the word of God (meditating on the word of God) so we will be able to vision the promise land and bring it to pass in our lives. When we renew our minds to God word then we will better understand the will of God for our lives.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
Band of Believers by Julie Daniels & Husband
There is a band of believers
They know their rights, they’ll take a stand
They know their power comes from the Father
They’re going on in, they are going to take the land
Many died out in the desert, they wouldn’t let Jesus take them in
The Father brought them out of Egypt, but he never got Egypt out of them
So the time has come for you and me to go on in
Jesus guarantees we win
We are the ones God’s called to conquer
Going to trample down giants,
Going to march on in
Our eyes are set on what’s before us
All the memories of weakness have come to an end.
All the memories of weakness have come to an end.
So the time has come for you and me to go on in
Jesus guarantees we win
We are the ones God’s called to conquer
Going to trample down giants,
Going to march on in
Our eyes are set on what’s before us
All the memories of weakness have come to an end.
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